[X account capture of Bill Essayli, principal assistant US attorney for the Central District of California]
[X account capture of Bill Essayli, principal assistant US attorney for the Central District of California]

The FBI has arrested a woman accused of conducting espionage operations inside the United States on behalf of Chinese authorities, including surveilling the son of Taiwan's president.

According to the FBI, Wanying Zhang, 34, faces charges of photographing the home and vehicle of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's son and his family in Seattle last year and reporting the information to her Chinese handlers.

Zhang used the name "Heather" in the United States and worked as a real estate agent in California, the FBI said. She is believed to be of Chinese origin, though her exact nationality has not been disclosed.

Bill Essayli, principal assistant US attorney for the Central District of California, indicted Zhang on charges of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government.

Lai's son, Lai Ting-yu, works at Philips in Bothell, Washington, near Seattle.

A spokesperson for Taiwan's presidential office called the case "a typical example of transnational repression," condemning actions carried out "for the purpose of suppressing, threatening or even harming those who uphold freedom and democracy, and their families."

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was unaware of the case but added that China "has always opposed using the so-called China spy hype to smear and slander China."

This is not the first time ethnic Chinese individuals acting on orders from Beijing have been accused of conducting intelligence operations in the United States targeting senior Taiwanese officials.

Yaoning Sun, 65, of California, was sentenced to four years in prison earlier this year after being convicted of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government. Sun was accused of monitoring then-President Tsai Ing-wen's movements during her 2023 visit to California and photographing both supporters and protesters before reporting the information to Chinese authorities.


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