The woman allegedly surveilled Lai’s son and his family.
FEDERAL Bureau of Investigation agents accost Wanying Zhang (2nd from right) who was arrested at the Los Angeles airport in California.
HANDOUT/X ACCOUNT OF US ATTY. BILL ESSAYLI/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A woman accused of spying for China on Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s son and his family was arrested Sunday in the United States, US and Taiwanese officials said.
Wanying Zhang, 34, was detained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at Los Angeles airport “attempting to depart for China,” First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said in an X post.
Zhang is accused of acting as an unregistered agent of China and spying on a “close relative of a Taiwanese government official” in the US, Essayli said.
The woman allegedly surveilled Lai’s “son and his family — filming their home, vehicles, and reporting information back to (People’s Republic of China) handlers,” the FBI said on its rapid response account on X.
China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex the island.
Zhang traveled to Seattle in 2025 and, acting at the direction of Chinese officials, sent “photos, videos, and license plate information to those officials,” Essayli said.
FBI Director Kash Patel cheered the arrest in an X post, warning foreign adversaries that “America is no longer a safe place to run your espionage operations.”
“Allegedly surveil a foreign leader’s family on US soil for the PRC — and try to catch a flight back to Shanghai? Not happening,” Patel said.
Lai, who was elected president in January 2024, has been an outspoken defender of Taiwan’s sovereignty and is detested by Chinese leaders.
Lai’s office condemned the “barbaric acts,” which it confirmed had targeted the president’s family, and said it was a case of “transnational repression.”
“Such behavior should not be tolerated in the civilized world,” Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo said in a statement, thanking US judicial authorities for “their assistance and protection of our citizens.”
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