California woman accused of spying on Taiwan leader's son for China

On October 4, the FBI arrested a California resident Zhang Wanying at Los Angeles International Airport. She was accused of working as an unregistered foreign agent. She is accused of spying on the son of the head of the administration of Taiwan Lai Jingde on behalf of the Chinese authorities. This was reported by Reuters with reference to the statement of the Ministry.

Zhang Wanying, 34, also known as Heather, had intended to fly to China. The FBI initially did not specify who, according to the agency, the girl was watching. In a later post in the New York Post, it was noted that he lives in the United States Lai Tingyu.

The U.S. Justice Department said Zhang Wanying flew to Seattle in 2025 at the direction of Chinese officials and sent them photos, videos and license plate information of the Taiwan leader’s son and his family. According to first assistant prosecutor for the Central District of California Bill Essaley, the arrested woman used her official position to avoid exposure. It did not inform Washington that it was acting in the interests of a foreign government. She is due to appear in Los Angeles federal court on Monday.

Ernest Philippowski