California Woman Arrested at LAX on Charges of Spying on Taiwanese Leader’s Son for China
Authorities arrested California woman Wanying Zhang at Los Angeles airport, accusing her of spying on Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's son for Chinese officials. She faces an unregistered foreign agent charge
California woman arrested for spying on Taiwan president's son.
Federal agents have detained a California woman who is accused of conducting surveillance on a son of Taiwan’s president on behalf of Chinese officials, the FBI announced.
Wanying Zhang, who also goes by Heather, was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday as she prepared to board a flight to China, the bureau said in a statement. The 34-year-old Irvine resident faces a charge of acting as an unregistered foreign agent, Reuters reported.
According to the FBI, the person Zhang allegedly watched is a son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. The agency stopped short of naming the target, but it later circulated a New York Post report that identified him as Lai Ting-yu, who lives in the United States.
The Justice Department said Zhang went to Seattle in 2025 under instructions from Chinese officials. She then allegedly passed along photos, video and license plate details covering Lai’s son and his family.
Bill Essayli, the first assistant US attorney for the Central District of California, said in a statement that Zhang relied on tradecraft to avoid being detected and never told Washington she was working for a foreign government.
Zhang is due in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday, Essayli said. It was not immediately clear whether she has retained a defense lawyer.
Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party promote Taiwan’s identity as separate from China, a stance that regularly draws anger from Beijing, which regards the island as Chinese territory.
The United States does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, yet it remains the island’s most important international supporter and its leading supplier of weapons.