Dutch Ambassador Finds Love, Loses Job

An inquiry has begun into Ambassador Ron Keller, the Dutch liaison to China, amid reports that he had a special liaison all his own. Keller is an experienced diplomat, having worked in Russia and Turkey for years, but is now being accused of having a secret love affair with a local Beijing employee. It’s highly frowned upon for foreign diplomats to fraternize with local staff because of the so-called “honey trap,” whereby local women act as agents for the Chinese government. Sounds like a ’60s spy movie but it’s common enough to strike fear into the Dutch Embassy. Keller is suspended and it’s unlikely he’ll be able to return to China, so we’ll never know if his forbidden love was the real thing or not.