U.S. authorities have arrested a California woman accused of acting as an unregistered foreign agent for China and surveilling the son of Taiwan’s president, the FBI said.
Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday (4 October) before she was due to travel to China. The 34-year-old Irvine resident was charged with acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
According to the FBI, Zhang travelled to Seattle in 2025 at the direction of Chinese officials and collected information about the Taiwanese president’s son and his family. Prosecutors say she sent Chinese officials photographs, video and licence plate information.
The FBI said Zhang used methods intended to avoid detection and did not notify U.S. authorities that she was acting on behalf of a foreign government.
The agency did not initially identify the alleged target, but the New York Post identified him as Lai Ting-yu, a U.S. resident and son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.
U.S. authorities say Zhang was arrested at LAX before her planned departure for China. She is due to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday.
It was not immediately clear whether Zhang had a defence lawyer. The Chinese embassy in Washington and Taiwan’s representative office in the United States did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Taiwan's presidential office described Zhang's actions as a “typical case of transnational repression” and thanked the U.S. 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.
The case comes amid continued tensions between Taiwan and China. President Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party support Taiwan’s separate identity from China, a position strongly opposed by Beijing, which considers Taiwan part of its territory.
The United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but remains the island’s most important international supporter and weapons supplier.
The FBI has not said whether the alleged surveillance was connected to any broader intelligence operation. The investigation remains ongoing.
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