US authorities have arrested a California woman accused of spying on the son of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te at the direction of Chinese officials, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said.
Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, 34, was arrested on Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport before she was due to board a flight to China. She has been charged with acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. Zhang is a resident of Irvine, California.
The FBI said Zhang had surveilled a son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. The agency did not initially identify the alleged target by name, but later shared a New York Post report identifying him as Lai Ting-yu, a US resident.
Taiwan’s presidential office described Zhang’s alleged activities as a case of “transnational repression” and thanked the US government for protecting Taiwanese citizens.
Presidential office spokesperson Karen Kuo said Taiwan strongly condemned what she described as conduct that disregards human rights and the sovereignty of other countries.
China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to the US Justice Department, Zhang travelled to Seattle in 2025 at the direction of Chinese officials and subsequently sent them photographs, videos and vehicle licence-plate information involving Lai’s son and his family.
A federal criminal complaint alleges that Zhang and an unidentified accomplice travelled to Seattle in September 2025. The complaint says they rented a vehicle and went to the family’s residence, where surveillance footage allegedly showed them appearing to record Lai Ting-yu, his wife and their child.
The FBI alleges that Zhang sent messages to a Chinese government contact after observing the family. According to the complaint, she reported seeing the target and said she was recording, before sending two licence-plate numbers. Investigators said the messages were obtained from a search of Zhang’s iCloud account.
The complaint further alleges that Zhang had been introduced to a Chinese government official in 2025 through a classmate from Beijing’s University of International Relations. FBI investigators said Zhang later met the official in China and received instructions related to the surveillance operation.
Lai Ching-te and his Democratic Progressive Party support maintaining Taiwan’s separate identity from China, a position opposed by Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory. Lai has said that Taiwan’s future should be determined by its people.
The case adds to longstanding tensions between Taiwan and China and comes amid US investigations into alleged Chinese efforts to conduct covert activities inside the United States.
Zhang is expected to face proceedings in federal court in Los Angeles. It was not immediately clear whether she had retained a lawyer.
