FBI arrests woman accused of spying on Taiwan President Lai's family in US
A 34-year-old woman was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport while trying to leave the United States and has been accused of spying on the family of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te for China, according to the FBI.
US authorities said Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, worked for China as an unregistered agent and had monitored the Taiwanese president's relatives in the US. Taiwan's Presidential Office confirmed that President Lai's relatives were targeted, though it did not specify whether it was his son. Zhang was due to appear in a federal court in Los Angeles on Monday.
Assistant US State Attorney Bill Essayli said on social media that Zhang took photos and videos of her targets and sent vehicle registration details to Chinese officials. The FBI said she had surveilled the Taiwanese president's son and his family while in the United States.
Zhang was arrested as she was departing on a flight to China. Her nationality was not clear, and it could not immediately be determined whether she had a lawyer representing her.
Calling it "a classic case of transnational repression", Taiwan's Presidential Office strongly condemned the incident. In a statement, spokesperson Karen Kuo said, "Taiwan condemns in the strongest terms such barbaric acts - which disregard human rights and national sovereignty and aim to suppress, threaten, or even harm individuals advocating for freedom and democracy or their families - as such behaviour should not be tolerated in the civilised world."
The Chinese Embassy in the US did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. China's Foreign Ministry in Beijing was closed for holidays.
Taiwan and China split after a civil war in 1949, but Beijing claims the island as part of its territory. Lai, who was elected in 2024, has said that Taiwan and Beijing do not belong to each other and that the "People's Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan." China considers him a separatist and has called him a "destroyer of peace."
Since taking office, Lai has increased focus on Taiwan's defence, including a pledge to raise defence spending from 3 per cent to 5 per cent of GDP and pushing through a special budget for the construction of a T-Dome air defence system. The case centres on US allegations that Zhang tracked members of Lai's family on behalf of China before being stopped from leaving for China.
