The FBI arrested a woman on Sunday, Oct. 4 for allegedly surveilling the son of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, Lai Ting-yu, at the direction of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) authorities.
Wanying Zhang, 34, also known as Heather, of Irvine, California, was arrested by the FBI’s Los Angeles field office at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) shortly before boarding a flight to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Her residency status remains unclear at the time of reporting.
“According to the affidavit, Zhang traveled to Seattle in 2025 and, at the direction of PRC officials, surveilled a close relative of a Taiwanese government official, sending photos, videos, and license plate information to those officials,” Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, said in a Sunday post on X.
Initially, the FBI did not name Zhang’s alleged target, but it later shared a report from the New York Post identifying Lai Ting-yu, a U.S. resident.
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Essayli noted that Zhang, a realtor, coordinated her trip from Los Angeles with an associate and used intelligence officers’ tradecraft, or specialized methods and operational practices, to avoid detection. She was an unregistered foreign agent, meaning she had not notified the Attorney General that she was acting on behalf of a foreign government, which is a federal offense, Essayli said.
Zhang traveled in a rented car with an unidentified man last year. The man flew from Las Vegas to Seattle on Sept. 1, and the two then drove together to the target’s home in a rented car, according to the Taipei Times, which cited a complaint filed Saturday by FBI special agent Kevin Holt.
The pair were seen filming Lai Ting-yu, his wife, and their child as they arrived home that evening, according to home-security camera footage from a neighbor.
Essayli said that Zhang will “appear in federal court in Los Angeles tomorrow [Monday, Oct. 5] for her initial appearance. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
Edric Ding, Zhang’s husband, who is also a realtor at the same firm, told CBS News by phone on Sunday, “I don’t know anything yet.” He declined to comment further. It was not immediately clear whether Zhang had an attorney.
Taiwan responds
The Taiwan president’s office condemned the PRC after Zhang’s arrest in California, with spokeswoman Karen Kuo calling it a “typical case” of transnational repression, according to the Taipei Times.
“Our country expresses the strongest condemnation of such barbaric conduct that disregards human rights and the sovereignty of nations,” she said.
Kuo thanked the U.S. government for its assistance in the case and for protecting Taiwan, and assured that Taiwan would continue working with Washington and other democratic allies to combat such illegal acts.
“The motive of transnational repression is to suppress, threaten and even bring harm to those who uphold the values of freedom and democracy and their family,” she said, adding that such behavior should not be tolerated in civilized societies, according to the Taipei Times.
Citing the FBI complaint, Holt said Zhang had been introduced to an official of the Chinese government by a former classmate from Beijing’s University of International Relations (BUIR) in June last year. According to Holt, the BUIR is closely linked to the PRC Ministry of State Security, China’s principal civilian intelligence and counterintelligence agency.
In the same month, Zhang traveled to China to meet a government official in Changsha, capital of the south-central Hunan Province.
“If the PRC wishes 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,” Holt said.
Arrest comes days after Xi-Trump summit
The announcement about Zhang’s arrest came just a few days after President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met on Sept. 24.
At the summit, Xi raised the issue of Taiwan, but Trump did not announce any policy change or concession regarding the island, which Beijing claims is a rightful part of the PRC.
Taiwan, a de facto independent country, is democratically governed as the Republic of China (ROC).
The PRC does not accept either the existence of the ROC or formal independence for Taiwan. It has long presented the “Taiwan issue” as an essential prerequisite for long-term U.S.-China strategic cooperation.
Noting the increasing number of espionage incidents involving Chinese agents inside the United States, FBI Director Kash Patel issued a warning to foreign governments.
“Foreign adversaries take note: America is no longer a safe place to run your espionage operations. Allegedly surveil a foreign leader’s family on U.S. soil for the PRC—and try to catch a flight back to Shanghai? Not happening,” Patel said in a message on X.
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