FBI says California woman spied for China on Taiwanese president’s son
Washington Post
Washington Post
Original Source
U.S. authorities arrested a 34-year-old California realtor at Los Angeles International Airport as she prepared to board a flight to Shanghai, accusing her of acting as an unregistered Chinese agent. She is charged with surveilling the son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te in Seattle and transmitting photos, videos, and license plate information to Beijing officials.
FBI says California woman conducted surveillance as Chinese agent - The Washington Post
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FBI says California woman spied for China on Taiwanese president’s son
The 34-year-old woman was arrested as she sought to board a flight to Shanghai from Los Angeles.
October 5, 2026 at 7:47 a.m. EDTToday at 7:47 a.m. EDT
2 min
*Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te speaks in Taipei on Sunday. (Cheng Yu-Chen/AFP/Getty Images)*
By Huiyee Chiew
,
Joshua Yang
and
Rudy Lu
TAIPEI, Taiwan — U.S. authorities arrested a California Realtor on Sunday on suspicion of acting as a Chinese agent and surveilling the Taiwanese president’s son in Seattle, the FBI and federal prosecutors said.
The woman, Wanying Zhang, 34, also known as Heather Zhang, was detained at Los Angeles International Airport as she was set to board a flight to Shanghai.
She is being charged with acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China and is set to appear in federal court Monday, Bill Essayli, the lead federal prosecutor for the Central District of California, said in a statement.
Zhang traveled to Seattle last year “at the direction of” Chinese officials to surveil the “close relative” of a Taiwanese official, sending photos, videos and license plate information to contacts in Beijing, Essayli said.
Ting-Yu Lai, a son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, is an engineer in the Seattle metropolitan area, according to his publicly available LinkedIn profile.
Taiwan, a self-governing island that China claims as its own territory, has taken an increasingly hard-line stance against Beijing during Lai’s presidency.
China has responded to Lai in personal terms, pressuring nations to block the democratically elected leader from conducting diplomatic visits and calling him a “parasite” in a propaganda video.
“We strongly condemn such brutal acts, which disregard human rights and the sovereignty of other countries and are intended to suppress, threaten, or even harm people who advocate freedom and democracy, as well as their families,” a spokesperson for Taiwan’s presidential office, Karen Kuo, said in a statement Monday. “Such behavior should not be tolerated in the civilized world.”
Zhang’s arrest follows previous instances of Chinese surveillance of Taiwanese government officials overseas.
In February, a California man, Yaoning Sun, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for monitoring then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s trip to Southern California in 2023 on behalf of Beijing.
Officials at the Chinese Embassy in Prague also planned to tail and surveil Taiwan’s vice president during her visit to the Czech Republic in 2024, according to Czech military intelligence.
---
* Greg Miller U.K. accuses China of operating institute as front for espionage September 30, 2026
* Michelle Lee , Chie Tanaka and Greg Miller Why Japan wants to create its first modern spy agency since World War II July 24, 2026
* Cate Cadell and Joshua Yang Trump tests China relations with election meddling claims July 17, 2026
* Cate Cadell , Gerrit De Vynck and Nitasha Tiku Inside the secret AI war between Silicon Valley and China July 6, 2026
* Michael Birnbaum , Isaac Arnsdorf and Rebecca Tan Xi warns Trump that mishandling Taiwan could spark ‘conflicts’ May 14, 2026
* Cate Cadell Iran war, China thaw complicate U.S. support for Taiwan May 23, 2026
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SubscribeSign in
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WorldAsiaAfricaAmericasEuropeMiddle East
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FBI says California woman spied for China on Taiwanese president’s son
The 34-year-old woman was arrested as she sought to board a flight to Shanghai from Los Angeles.
October 5, 2026 at 7:47 a.m. EDTToday at 7:47 a.m. EDT
2 min
*Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te speaks in Taipei on Sunday. (Cheng Yu-Chen/AFP/Getty Images)*
By Huiyee Chiew
,
Joshua Yang
and
Rudy Lu
TAIPEI, Taiwan — U.S. authorities arrested a California Realtor on Sunday on suspicion of acting as a Chinese agent and surveilling the Taiwanese president’s son in Seattle, the FBI and federal prosecutors said.
The woman, Wanying Zhang, 34, also known as Heather Zhang, was detained at Los Angeles International Airport as she was set to board a flight to Shanghai.
She is being charged with acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China and is set to appear in federal court Monday, Bill Essayli, the lead federal prosecutor for the Central District of California, said in a statement.
Zhang traveled to Seattle last year “at the direction of” Chinese officials to surveil the “close relative” of a Taiwanese official, sending photos, videos and license plate information to contacts in Beijing, Essayli said.
Ting-Yu Lai, a son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, is an engineer in the Seattle metropolitan area, according to his publicly available LinkedIn profile.
Taiwan, a self-governing island that China claims as its own territory, has taken an increasingly hard-line stance against Beijing during Lai’s presidency.
China has responded to Lai in personal terms, pressuring nations to block the democratically elected leader from conducting diplomatic visits and calling him a “parasite” in a propaganda video.
“We strongly condemn such brutal acts, which disregard human rights and the sovereignty of other countries and are intended to suppress, threaten, or even harm people who advocate freedom and democracy, as well as their families,” a spokesperson for Taiwan’s presidential office, Karen Kuo, said in a statement Monday. “Such behavior should not be tolerated in the civilized world.”
Zhang’s arrest follows previous instances of Chinese surveillance of Taiwanese government officials overseas.
In February, a California man, Yaoning Sun, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for monitoring then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s trip to Southern California in 2023 on behalf of Beijing.
Officials at the Chinese Embassy in Prague also planned to tail and surveil Taiwan’s vice president during her visit to the Czech Republic in 2024, according to Czech military intelligence.
---
* Greg Miller U.K. accuses China of operating institute as front for espionage September 30, 2026
* Michelle Lee , Chie Tanaka and Greg Miller Why Japan wants to create its first modern spy agency since World War II July 24, 2026
* Cate Cadell and Joshua Yang Trump tests China relations with election meddling claims July 17, 2026
* Cate Cadell , Gerrit De Vynck and Nitasha Tiku Inside the secret AI war between Silicon Valley and China July 6, 2026
* Michael Birnbaum , Isaac Arnsdorf and Rebecca Tan Xi warns Trump that mishandling Taiwan could spark ‘conflicts’ May 14, 2026
* Cate Cadell Iran war, China thaw complicate U.S. support for Taiwan May 23, 2026
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