The FBI detained 34-year-old California resident Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, at Los Angeles International Airport; US authorities accuse her of acting as an unregistered agent for China. According to the investigation, in 2025, on the instructions of Chinese officials, she monitored the son of Taiwan\u2019s President Lai Jingde and passed on information about him and his family members. Zhang was detained prior to her scheduled flight to China.<\/p>\n
Zhang Wanyin<\/strong> She was detained on Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport. According to the FBI, she was planning to leave the US and fly to China.<\/p>\n The woman lives in Irvine, California. She has been charged with acting as an agent of a foreign government without being duly registered with the US authorities. The FBI stated that one of the Taiwanese president\u2019s sons was the subject of the investigation Lai Qingde<\/strong>. The initial report did not mention any names, but the agency subsequently circulated an article from the *New York Post* which stated that Lai Ting-yu<\/strong> \u2014 the son of the Taiwanese president, who lives in the US.<\/p>\n According to the US Department of Justice, in 2025 Zhang travelled to Seattle on the instructions of Chinese officials. The investigation alleges that whilst there she gathered information about the son of the President of Taiwan and his family. This included, in particular, photographs, video recordings and details of car number plates. According to the US authorities, she passed the material she had gathered on to her contacts in China.<\/p>\n First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essaili<\/strong> stated that the suspect had used covert surveillance techniques to avoid detection and had failed to inform the US authorities that she was allegedly acting on behalf of a foreign government.<\/p>\n The Office of the President of Taiwan reacted strongly to the reports of the detention. Officials in Taipei described the actions outlined by the US investigation as a \u00abtypical case of transnational repression\u00bb and thanked the US government for its measures to protect Taiwanese citizens.<\/p>\n The President\u2019s spokesperson Karen Kuo<\/strong> stated that Taiwan condemns actions which, she said, disregard the human rights and sovereignty of other states. The Taiwanese authorities have previously spoken out against the intensification of Chinese influence operations, surveillance and other forms of pressure abroad. The President Lai Qingde<\/strong> described transnational repression as one of the components of Beijing\u2019s hybrid pressure.<\/p>\n The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it was not familiar with the specific circumstances of the case. At the same time, Beijing has once again rejected the allegations of espionage and stated that it opposes the \u00absensationalisation\u00bb of the issue of Chinese agents in order to discredit the PRC.<\/p>\n Zhang herself has not yet been found guilty. She has merely been charged, and the case is due to be heard by a federal court. At the time of writing, it was not known whether she had a lawyer. The first court hearing in the case is scheduled for Monday in Los Angeles.<\/p>\nPhotos, videos and car registration numbers<\/h2>\n
Taiwan speaks out against transnational repression<\/h2>\n
China denies any involvement<\/h2>\n
The issue arose against a backdrop of tensions between China and Taiwan<\/h2>\n