California woman accused of spying for China

US authorities have arrested a California woman and accused her of spying for China by monitoring the son of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te.

The FBI arrested 34-year-old Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday. She was detained before she was due to travel to China.

Zhang, who lives in Irvine, California, has been charged with acting as an unregistered foreign agent. Prosecutors allege that she carried out surveillance activities at the direction of Chinese officials.

According to the FBI, Zhang traveled to Seattle in 2025 and gathered information about the Taiwanese president’s son and his family. She allegedly provided Chinese officials with photographs, videos and vehicle licence plate details.

US authorities said Zhang used methods designed to avoid detection and failed to disclose that she was working on behalf of a foreign government.

The alleged target was later identified as Lai Ting-yu, a US resident and son of Taiwan’s president.

Taiwan’s presidential office condemned the alleged surveillance, describing it as an example of transnational repression. It also thanked Washington for taking action to protect Taiwanese citizens.

The case comes amid heightened tensions between China and Taiwan. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory, while President Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party support Taiwan’s separate identity and maintain that its future should be decided by its people.

China’s foreign ministry had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.

Zhang is expected to appear in a federal court in Los Angeles. It was not immediately clear whether she had obtained a lawyer.

The United States does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but remains its most important international supporter and a major supplier of military equipment.