Last Updated: Tuesday, 13 December 2005, 02:12 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version Ex-US diplomat in 'Taiwan case' A former top US diplomat has pleaded guilty to not disclosing a relationship with a Taiwanese intelligence officer. Donald Keyser, 62, also pleaded guilty to illegally removing classified documents from the US State Department where he was employed until 2004. He faces up to eight years in prison when he is sentenced in February. Washington is a major backer of Taiwan, but in 1979 it switched diplomatic ties from the island to China, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province. 'Vulnerable' liaison Mr Keyser - a former Number Two official in the State Department's section handling East Asian affairs - admitted having a relationship with Isabelle Cheng, 34. During a hearing at a court in Virginia, he made an apology, saying he wanted to keep it a secret from his wife. "I understand that my personal relationship with her (Ms Cheng) might have made me vulnerable to attempted exploitation or pressure," he said. FBI agents monitored Mr Keyser in 2004 and found that on a number of occasions he had met Ms Cheng and her boss at Taiwan's National Intelligence Bureau in the Washington area, officials said. They said that thousands of State Department's files - some marked top secret - had been found during a subsequent search at Mr Keyser's home. "In all, Keyser had over 3,600 documents in either hard copy or electronic form, " the US Justice Department said in a statement. Released court documents also showed that he failed to disclose that he had made a four-day visit to Taiwan in 2003. Mr Keyser had also served at US embassies in Beijing and Tokyo during his career spanning three decades. E-mail this to a friend Printable version LINKS TO MORE AMERICAS STORIES SelectUS ex-gang boss denied clemencyColombian militia faction disarmsHaiti clashes mar Dominican talksEx-US diplomat in 'Taiwan case'Vioxx court case ends in mistrialChilean election set for run-offFed 'set to raise rates to 4.25%'US state signs Cuban trade dealUS TV actor faces murder chargesColts claim 13th consecutive winClarke races into California leadDiplomats seek clues on hostagesJapan eases import ban on US beefWikipedia joker eats humble pieComics mourn 'trailblazer' PryorAmazon nun's killers are jailedVietnam opponent McCarthy is deadSilence follows hostage deadlineUS defends prisoners' transfersLast-minute climate deals reachedObituary: Richard PryorAK-47: The Jamaican rapperGang boss case sparks death row debateChavez opponents face tough timesProgrammes and Schedules [input] SEE ALSO: Taiwan unmoved by China's spy stories 11 Feb 04 | Asia-Pacific China repeats Taiwan 'spy' claim 24 Dec 03 | Asia-Pacific Taiwan denies China 'spy' arrests 22 Dec 03 | Asia-Pacific Taiwan presses China on missiles 16 Dec 03 | Asia-Pacific China issues new Taiwan warning 17 Dec 03 | Asia-Pacific Chinese activist on trial 04 Aug 03 | Asia-Pacific Taiwanese charged as Chinese spies 26 Sep 02 | Asia-Pacific RELATED INTERNET LINKS: US State Department Taiwan Government China Government The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites TOP AMERICAS STORIES NOW US ex-gang boss denied clemency Colombian militia faction disarms Haiti clashes mar Dominican talks Ex-US diplomat in 'Taiwan case' getRssUrlStory('/rss/newsonline_world_edition/americas/rss.xml') | What is RSS? News Alerts E-mail services Mobiles/PDAs BBC Copyright Notice Back to top Help Privacy and Cookies Policy News sources About the BBC Contact us -1?'https:':'http:'; var _rsRP=escape(document.referrer); var _rsND=_rsLP+'//secure-uk.imrworldwide.com/'; if (parseInt(navigator.appVersion)>=4) { var _rsRD=(new Date()).getTime(); var _rsSE=1; var _rsSV=""; var _rsSM=1.0; _rsCL=''; } else { _rsCL=''; } document.write(_rsCL); //--> --------------------------------- Yahoo! Shopping Find Great Deals on Holiday Gifts at Yahoo! Shopping いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい