United States authorities have arrested a 34-year-old California woman for allegedly spying on the son of Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te on behalf of Chinese officials.
Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, was arrested on Sunday, October 4, at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), shortly before she was scheduled to travel to China, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reports.
She has been charged with acting as an unregistered foreign agent, according to the agency.
The FBI alleged that Zhang surveilled one of President Lai’s sons, who was later identified by the New York Post as Lai Ting-yu, a US resident.
According to the US Department of Justice, Zhang travelled to Seattle in 2025 at the direction of Chinese officials, where she allegedly gathered and sent them photographs, videos and vehicle licence plate information involving the Taiwanese president’s son and his family.
US authorities also alleged that Zhang took measures to avoid detection during the surveillance and failed to notify the US government that she was acting on behalf of a foreign government.
Bill Essayli, the first assistant US attorney for the Central District of California, said Zhang’s alleged activities demonstrated deliberate efforts to conceal her actions.
Zhang is expected to appear before a federal court in Los Angeles on Monday, October 5.
Reacting to the arrest, Taiwan’s Presidential Office described Zhang’s alleged activities as a case of “transnational repression” and thanked the US government for protecting Taiwanese citizens.
“Our country expresses the strongest condemnation of such barbaric conduct that disregards human rights and the sovereignty of nations,” spokesperson Karen Kuo said in a statement.