US arrests woman accused of surveilling Taiwanese president’s son

US authorities said on Oct 5 that the FBI had arrested Wanying “Heather” Zhang at Los Angeles International Airport and charged her with acting as an unregistered foreign agent. US officials say Zhang, who lives in Irvine, California, monitored one of Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te’s sons and his relatives near Seattle in 2025 on instructions from Chinese authorities.¹²³⁵

Arrest and charge

Zhang was detained before a planned departure for China, according to reports citing US authorities. She was scheduled to appear on Monday in a federal court in Los Angeles. The available reports did not immediately establish who was representing her, according to The Japan Times.¹²³⁵

The charge alleges that Zhang acted in the United States on behalf of a foreign government without notifying Washington. Bill Essayli, the Central District of California’s first assistant US attorney, said Zhang employed methods intended to evade discovery and did not tell Washington she was working for a foreign state.¹³⁵

The charge concerns alleged activity as an unregistered foreign agent. It does not by itself establish guilt, and the dossier contains no court response from Zhang to the accusation.¹²³⁴

The alleged surveillance operation

US authorities say Zhang travelled to Seattle in 2025 under instructions from Chinese officials. Authorities say she gathered images, footage and car registration details involving the Taiwanese president’s son and relatives before passing them to Chinese authorities.¹²³⁵

The FBI identified the alleged target as a son of President Lai. Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle and The Japan Times reported that the New York Post named the man as Lai Ting-yu, who lives in the United States. CBS News separately reported that the complaint described Zhang photographing or filming the son, his wife and their child as they reached their home.¹²³⁴

CBS News reported that FBI special agent Kevin Holt, who wrote the criminal complaint affidavit, said information about relatives’ locations, homes and vehicles could be useful to the People’s Republic of China if it sought leverage over Taiwan’s president during a potential conflict. That assessment is an allegation contained in the complaint, not an established account of how Chinese authorities intended to use the material.⁴

CBS also reported that Zhang coordinated with another person, communicated with at least two people she appeared to recognise as Chinese government personnel, and received the assignment after meeting an official in Changsha. Those details were not independently confirmed by the other reports in the dossier.⁴

Taiwan’s response and wider relations

According to The Jerusalem Post, Taiwan’s presidential office denounced the alleged actions and expressed gratitude to US authorities for safeguarding Taiwanese people. Spokesperson Karen Kuo called the episode a “typical case of transnational repression”.⁵

President Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party promote a distinct Taiwanese identity, while Beijing regards Taiwan as Chinese territory. Although the United States does not maintain official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the reports portray it as Taiwan’s principal overseas backer and provider of arms.¹²³⁵

The reports also did not provide a response from Zhang or clarify her defence arrangements beyond saying that representation was not immediately apparent.³