California woman arrested in US over alleged spying on Taiwan President's son
Photo: The arrest took place at Los Angeles International Airport (Getty Images)
On Sunday, October 4, the FBI arrested California resident Wanying Zhang. She is accused of spying on the son of Taiwan's President at the behest of Chinese officials, according to Reuters.
According to an FBI statement, the arrest took place at Los Angeles International Airport before the woman was scheduled to fly to China. It is known that 34-year-old Zhang lives in Irvine, California, and authorities have accused her of acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
It is alleged that the woman was monitoring the son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. The FBI did not directly name Zhang's alleged target, but the New York Post later unveiled a report identifying him as Lai Ting-yu, who resides in the United States.
For its part, the Taiwanese President's administration called Zhang's actions 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," says a statement from the press secretary, Karen Kuo.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice reports that Zhang traveled to Seattle in 2025 on the instructions of Chinese officials. She sent them photographs, videos, and information about the license plates of the Taiwanese President's son and his family.
Zhang used operational techniques to avoid detection and never informed Washington that she was acting on behalf of a foreign government.
She is expected to appear before a federal court in Los Angeles today, October 5.
What else important to know
On August 27, it was reported that the US had thwarted a large-scale operation by hackers from China who had been attempting for years to breach the networks of US government agencies, including the Senate and NASA. According to the investigation, the company in question is Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology, whose clients include China's civilian intelligence services and the People's Liberation Army.
In July, the Taiwanese government launched a website to encourage Chinese citizens to share intelligence information. This communication channel is intended for people who are fed up with the system and want change.
