A bit harsh, but I understand the reasoning.

[perestroika@lemm.ee]

A bit harsh, but I understand the reasoning.

Diplomats know it by heart, night and day - to recruit a person, you need to know what they're vulnerable to. Can they be manipulated with greed, shame, even a sense of justice or compassion? If you know, you can plan your steps towards obtaining their assistance.

People living in a foreign land are uniquely vulnerable to loneliness, so attracting their romantic interest is an age-old method - for example in the UK, a dozen cases are known where undercover cops have befriended activists and had children with them.

Perhaps for this reason, diplomats also often bring families along, as to not have issues of loneliness or temptation, since they live abroad for most of their careers. Ordinary embassy workers probably get a short lecture. First about honey traps, secondly about serious pressure from the local government that may target any of their genuine romantic relations. Basing on this, they would be expected to manage their risk. Apparently, someone decided they cannot handle it.

Has anything changed much, has China stepped up efforts to recruit embassy workers? Maybe... but that's probably confidential. Alternatively, someone just got extra worried.