The FBI arrested a woman accused of being a Chinese spy at Los Angeles International Airport on allegations that she surveilled the son of Taiwan's president. She was identified as Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, 34, a resident of Irvine, California.
According to Bill Essayli, assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, Zhang was arrested on Sunday before boarding a flight scheduled to depart for China. She is charged with acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
The FBI said Zhang surveilled the son of Taiwan President William Lai Ching-te. The agency did not directly name the alleged target, but later shared a news article identifying him as Lai Ting-yu.
The U.S. Department of Justice stated that Zhang traveled to Seattle in 2025 at the request of Chinese officials. She sent photographs, videos and license plate information of the Taiwanese leader's son and his family back to China.
Essayli called Zhang a "foreign spy for China" and said she "used tradecraft to avoid detection." He added: "She never notified the Attorney General that she was acting on behalf of a foreign government, a federal crime."
According to Essayli, Zhang was due to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday.
President William Lai Ching-te and his Democratic Progressive Party maintain that Taiwan is already an independent country separate from China. Beijing regards the island as Chinese territory.
Washington has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but under U.S. law it is obligated to provide the island with the means to defend itself. Earlier in the week, the United States delivered two F-16V Block 70 fighter jets to Taiwan as the island seeks to build up its defensive capabilities to deter a feared attack from China.
In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to achieve the "unification" of China and Taiwan, calling Beijing's long-term goal "unstoppable."
