FBI arrests California woman accused of spying for China on Taiwan president's son
The FBI arrested Wanying Zhang, 34, at Los Angeles airport on Sunday, accusing her of surveilling a son of Taiwan's president at the direction of Chinese officials.
US authorities have arrested a California woman accused of spying on a son of Taiwan’s president at the behest of Chinese officials, the FBI has said.
Wanying Zhang, 34, of Irvine, California, also known as Heather, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday before a planned departure to China. She has been charged with acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
The FBI said Zhang surveilled a son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. The agency did not name its alleged target directly but later shared a New York Post report identifying him as Lai Ting-yu, a US resident.
The Justice Department said Zhang travelled to Seattle in 2025 at the direction of Chinese officials and subsequently sent them photographs, video and licence plate information relating to the Taiwanese leader’s son and his family.
Bill Essayli, the first assistant US attorney for the Central District of California, said Zhang used tradecraft to avoid detection and never notified Washington that she was acting for a foreign government.
The Chinese embassy in Washington and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It was not immediately clear whether Zhang has a defence lawyer; she is due to appear in a Los Angeles federal court on Monday.
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