US accuses California woman of spying for China, surveilling Taiwan leader's son

The 34-year-old woman was arrested before a planned departure to China.

05 Oct 2026 11:27AM (Updated: 05 Oct 2026 11:44AM)

WASHINGTON: US authorities arrested a California woman on Sunday (Oct 4) and accused her of spying on a son of Taiwan's president at the behest of Chinese officials, the FBI said.

The FBI arrested Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday before her planned departure to China, the agency said in a statement. Authorities charged Zhang, 34, of Irvine, California, with acting as an unregistered foreign agent.

Zhang surveilled a son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, the FBI said. The agency did not directly name Zhang's alleged target, but later shared a New York Post report identifying him as Lai Ting-yu, a US resident.

The Justice Department said Zhang travelled to Seattle in 2025 at the direction of Chinese officials and subsequently sent them photos, video and license plate information of the Taiwanese leader's son and his family.

Zhang used tradecraft to avoid detection and never notified Washington that she was acting for a foreign government, Bill Essayli, the first assistant US attorney for the Central District of California, said in a statement.

The Chinese embassy in Washington and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It was not immediately clear whether Zhang has a defence attorney. She will appear on Monday in a Los Angeles federal court, Essayli said.

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.

Washington does not have ⁠formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but the United States is the island's most important international backer and ​weapons supplier.