Dutch ambassador to China Ron Keller. [Photo: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in China]

The Dutch ambassador to China involved in a "love affair" with a Chinese embassy employee has been suspended as an investigation gets underway.

"An inquiry into this case has been opened," Mariska Driessen, policy officer of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in China, told the Global Times in an email, noting that Ambassador Ron Keller, 58, would not perform any functions for the embassy while the probe is being conducted.

Keller had a secret affair with a Chinese national who worked at the embassy, and the relationship between the ambassador and the Chinese woman had only recently come to light, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported on Monday.

"A complaint against The Netherlands' ambassador to China is being investigated ... The integrity of the complaint procedure requires that, at this stage, the ministry cannot share further details regarding the inquiry," said the email.

Keller is currently in his country and not likely to return to Beijing, the newspaper said.

He was appointed ambassador to China and Mongolia in December 2015. He had represented his government in Turkey, the Russian Federation and Ukraine before assuming his post in Beijing, said the official website of The Netherlands Embassy and Consulates in China.

According to the Daily Mail, a statement, released upon Keller's appointment, said that "Keller hopes to contribute to a further strengthening of the cooperation and friendship between The Netherlands and the People's Republic of China and Mongolia."