FBI arrests California woman accused of spying on Taiwan president's son

Taiwan condemns alleged surveillance as ‘transnational repression’

The FBI arrested a California woman on Sunday, accusing her of spying on the son of Taiwan’s president at the behest of Chinese officials, the agency said. Wanying Zhang, 34, of Irvine, was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport before her planned departure to China.

Authorities charged Zhang, also known as Heather, with acting as an unregistered foreign agent. The FBI alleged that Zhang surveilled a son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te; the agency did not directly name the alleged target, but later shared a New York Post report identifying him as Lai Ting-yu, a US resident.

The Justice Department alleged that Zhang travelled to Seattle in 2025 at the direction of Chinese officials and sent them photos, video and licence plate information of the Taiwanese president’s son and his family.

Bill Essayli, the first assistant US attorney for the Central District of California, alleged in a statement that Zhang used tradecraft to avoid detection and never notified Washington that she was acting for a foreign government. It was not immediately clear whether Zhang had a defence attorney. She will appear on Monday in a Los Angeles federal court, Essayli said.

Taiwan’s presidential office described Zhang’s alleged actions as a “typical case of transnational repression” and thanked the US government for protecting Taiwanese citizens. “Our country expresses the strongest condemnation of such barbaric conduct that disregards human rights and the sovereignty of nations,” spokesperson Karen Kuo said in a statement.

China’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party champion Taiwan’s separate identity from China, a position that frequently angers Beijing, which views the island as Chinese territory. Lai says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.

Washington does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but the US is the island’s most important international backer and weapons supplier.