Everyone who has ever read a spy novel or watched a spy movie knows what the "honeypot" is. In case anyone isn't aware of that old trick, it's a spycraft thing where someone, usually a government official or someone else who has access to confidential information (I'm looking at you, Eric Swalwell) happens to run across a fabulously attractive person who inexlicably shows a strong romantic interest in the target (Still looking at you, Eric Swalwell.) In the course of the "relationship," the fabulously attractive person then extracts information from the target during pillow talk. (Sound familiar, Eric Swalwell?)

This is the honeypot trap. If you're not familiar with the term, there's a great documentary television series on spying and spycraft that you should check out.

Now, to prevent this very kind of thing, which has already ensnared a sitting U.S. Congressman (Yes, that's you, Eric Swalwell), the United States has now officially barred American government employees in China from engaging in "romance or sex" with locals.

The U.S. government has issued a sweeping diktat prohibiting American diplomats, their families and security-cleared contractors in China from engaging in romance or sex with Chinese citizens.

The Associated Press reported on the move, citing four people with direct knowledge of the decoupling policy which was put into effect by departing U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns in January shortly before he left China.

The “no sex” policy applies to staff at the U.S. embassy in Beijing and consulates in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang and Wuhan, as well as the consulate in Hong Kong.

As it happens, I have some (limited) experience in Shanghai, and while I'm happily married and don't play those games, I did see sex for hire openly offered, and one guy on the project went out on a Friday night and disappeared until Wednesday morning, causing some panic in the organization. The project lead called his wife in Arizona wondering if he's gone home for some reason, instead of (as we suspected) having been shacked up with a local - and I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall the next time that guy went home.

But he wasn't a government official with access to confidential information (still looking at you, Eric Swalwell).

U.S. personnel stationed outside China or those already in pre-existing relationships with Chinese citizens might be exempt, the report said, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter.

That might spare the blushes of those who in the past have had aspersions cast on their friendships like Eric Swalwell (D-CA).

The California Democrat’s tie to a suspected Chinese spy named Fang Fang was first reported exclusively by Breitbart News in July 2021.

Eric Swalwell should have suffered more than blushes from this "Bang Bang Fang Fang" adventure, but here we are.

See Also: We Didn't Think Eric Swalwell Could Be Any Grosser, but He Just Proved Us Wrong

Here We Have Eric Swalwell Posting a Cringe Video That Backfires Into a Sea of Mockery

Honestly, though, is this enough of an issue that the United States government, presumably the State Department, had to make it a matter of policy? What are these people doing? Granted, one of the neater things about international travel, and I've done plenty of it, is seeing new places and checking out new foods and new cultures, but some caution is in order - not to mention some plain old-fashioned discretion. It seems like this should be part of one's pre-deployment orientation, aside from being mind-bendingly obvious when dealing with people from an unfriendly country like China. (Still looking at you, Eric Swalwell.)

To our diplomats and staff in China, I leave you with a warning barked at us by a crusty old First Sergeant when I was in the Army's old 91A school and we got our first weekend pass to go into town: "Remember that flies spread disease - so keep yours closed!"

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