A 34-year-old woman accused of conducting surveillance on the family of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on behalf of Chinese officials has been arrested in the United States. Wanying Zhang was taken into custody by the FBI at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday as she allegedly attempted to leave the country for China, according to US authorities.
Prosecutors accuse Zhang of operating as an unregistered agent of China and gathering intelligence on a relative of a Taiwanese government official while in the United States. The FBI alleges that Zhang monitored Lai’s son and his family, taking photographs and videos of their residence and vehicles before sending the information to contacts linked to the Chinese government.
US prosecutors said Zhang travelled to Seattle in 2025, where she allegedly collected photographs, videos and vehicle registration details under instructions from Chinese officials. First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said Zhang had coordinated the operation with another person and used methods intended to avoid detection. She is expected to appear before a federal court for the first time on Monday.
FBI Director Kash Patel welcomed the arrest, saying the United States would not allow foreign governments to use its territory to conduct espionage operations.
Lai’s office confirmed that members of the president’s family had been targeted and condemned the alleged surveillance as an act of transnational repression. Taiwanese Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo thanked US authorities for protecting Taiwanese citizens and said such conduct should not be accepted internationally.
The case comes amid heightened tensions between Taiwan and China. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and has repeatedly refused to rule out using force to bring the island under its control.
Taiwan has also raised concerns about the safety of its citizens abroad following the introduction of China’s Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress in July. Critics of the legislation have warned that some of its provisions could give Beijing greater grounds to pursue people it considers opponents even when they are outside Chinese territory.
Lai, who became Taiwan’s president in 2024, has consistently defended the island’s sovereignty, a position that has drawn strong opposition from China.
