FBI Arrests California Woman Accused of Spying on Taiwan President Lai's Son for China

The FBI has arrested a California woman at Los Angeles International Airport on a charge of acting as an unregistered agent of China, accusing her of surveilling the US-based son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, according to US officials and reports by Al Jazeera, Reuters and CBS News.

Wanying Zhang, 34, of Irvine, also known as Heather, was arrested on Sunday as she prepared to board a flight to Shanghai, CBS News reported. She is expected to make her first appearance in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday. It was not immediately clear whether she has a lawyer.

What prosecutors allege

Bill Essayli, the first assistant US attorney for the Central District of California, announced the arrest on X. "We just arrested a Chinese foreign agent at LAX attempting to depart for China," he wrote.

According to the US Justice Department, Zhang travelled to Seattle in 2025 at the behest of Chinese officials and sent photos, video and license plate information about the Taiwanese leader's son and his family to China, Al Jazeera reported.

"She coordinated the trip with an associate and used tradecraft to avoid detection," Essayli said. "She never notified the Attorney General she was acting for a foreign government, a federal offense."

The complaint does not name the target, but law enforcement sources told CBS News he was the president's son, Lai Ting-yu.

The complaint, as reported by CBS News, alleges that Zhang and a man identified only as "Individual 1" flew from Las Vegas to Seattle on September 1, 2025 and drove to the family's home. It says she later texted a Chinese government contact: "Saw him. Young male. It's that young one."

"If the PRC [People's Republic of China] wish to obtain leverage over the President of Taiwan during any potential conflict, the location and pictures of the close relatives of a high-ranking Taiwanese government official, including pictures of their homes and cars, could be useful to the PRC," FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt wrote in the complaint, CBS reported.

Essayli noted that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, Fox News reported.

Taipei condemns the alleged plot

Taiwan's Presidential Office spokesperson Kuo Ya-hui on Monday described the case as a typical example of transnational repression and expressed Taiwan's strongest condemnation, Taiwanese broadcaster SETN reported. She thanked US authorities for protecting Taiwanese nationals and said Taiwan would keep working with the United States and other democratic partners against such acts.

Wider tensions

Beijing views self-ruled Taiwan as Chinese territory, while Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party say the island is already an independent country. Washington has no formal ties with Taipei but is bound by law to help it defend itself.