US authorities have arrested a California woman accused of conducting surveillance on the son of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te at the direction of Chinese officials.
The FBI arrested Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, at Los Angeles International Airport on October 4 as she was preparing to leave for China. The 34-year-old Irvine resident faces a federal charge of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
According to the US Justice Department, Zhang travelled to the Seattle area in 2025 at the direction of Chinese officials and conducted surveillance on Lai’s son and his family. Authorities allege that she collected photographs and videos and transmitted vehicle licence-plate information to Chinese contacts.
US prosecutors said Zhang coordinated the trip with an associate and used methods intended to avoid detection. She allegedly did not disclose to US authorities that she was acting on behalf of a foreign government.
The FBI did not initially identify the alleged target by name. US media reports subsequently identified him as Lai Ting-yu, a US resident and son of the Taiwanese president. Taiwan’s Presidential Office confirmed that relatives of Lai had been targeted but did not independently specify the son.
Taiwan condemned the alleged surveillance, describing it as a case of “transnational repression.” Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo said Taiwan opposed actions intended to suppress, threaten or harm Taiwanese people and their families abroad.
The case comes amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Taipei. China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, while Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party government reject Beijing’s claim to represent the island. Lai has said Taiwan’s future should be determined by its people.
The United States does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is its principal international security partner and a major supplier of military equipment. The alleged surveillance operation in the United States therefore adds another dimension to the increasingly contentious relationship between Washington, Beijing and Taipei.
Chinese authorities have pushed back against what they describe as the use of allegations involving “Chinese spies” to smear China. China’s Foreign Ministry said it was not familiar with the specific case, according to Reuters.
Zhang was scheduled to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on October 5. It was not immediately clear whether she had obtained legal representation. The allegations against her have not been established in court.
The case also follows earlier US investigations involving alleged Chinese surveillance of Taiwanese political figures. In a separate case, a Southern California man was sentenced earlier in 2026 after pleading guilty to acting as an illegal agent for China and surveilling Taiwan’s former president Tsai Ing-wen during her 2023 visit to California, according to US authorities.
The latest arrest is likely to draw further attention to how the political contest over Taiwan extends beyond the island, including through alleged intelligence and surveillance activities targeting Taiwanese figures and their families overseas.
