California Real Estate Agent Arrested at LAX for Spying on Taiwan President's Son
Wanying Zhang, 34, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday, accused of surveilling the son of Taiwan's president on behalf of China.
Irvine Woman Charged With Acting as Unregistered Agent for Beijing
The FBI arrested a California real estate agent at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday before she could board a flight to China, abc11.com reports. Wanying Zhang, 34, of Irvine, is accused of conducting covert surveillance of the son of Taiwan's president at the direction of Chinese government officials.
Zhang — who also went by the name Heather — was charged with acting in the United States as an unregistered foreign agent, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced. A naturalized U.S. citizen, she was due to appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon. Her husband, Edric Ding, was present at the courthouse before the hearing but declined to comment. It was not immediately clear whether she had retained an attorney.
Federal prosecutors allege Zhang traveled to Seattle on Sept. 1, 2025, alongside another individual, on the direction of Chinese officials, and conducted surveillance outside the home of Ting-Yu Lai — the elder son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who lives and works in the Seattle area as an engineer. A security camera near the residence recorded the pair filming Lai and family members from a vehicle, according to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint.
Zhang then allegedly transmitted the collected material — photographs, video footage and license plate information from the target's vehicles — to a Chinese government official. The affidavit noted that such photographs and the locations of close relatives of a senior Taiwanese official could give China leverage over Taiwan's president "during any potential conflict." The federal criminal complaint itself does not name the alleged target, but the FBI's rapid response account on the social media platform X identified him as the president's son.
Ties to Chinese Intelligence Infrastructure
According to the affidavit, Zhang attended the University of International Relations in Beijing, an institution the FBI describes as closely affiliated with China's intelligence apparatus. Many of its graduates go on to work within government ministries in Beijing, including intelligence agencies. Zhang maintained contact with a classmate who became a Chinese government official following their graduation around 2014; that classmate later introduced her to a second official, and she remained in contact with both throughout 2025.
A post dated Sept. 2, 2025, on the Chinese-language app Xiaohongshu showed Zhang complaining about long wait times at Seattle's airport security, wondering aloud whether it was the "least efficient international airport" in the United States. She regularly posted photographs of overseas travel and meals at upscale restaurants on the platform.
California records show Zhang has held a real estate license since 2016. A Zillow profile indicates she sold seven homes in the past year across Orange County.
Taiwan Condemns 'Transnational Repression'
Taiwan's Presidential Office confirmed that President Lai Ching-te's relatives were the targets of the surveillance operation, without specifying that it was his son. Spokesperson Karen Kuo described the case as "a classic case of transnational repression."
"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 behavior should not be tolerated in the civilized world," Kuo said in a statement.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and China's Foreign Ministry in Beijing was closed for the holidays.
Broader Pattern of Justice Department Prosecutions
The case arrives at a tense moment in U.S.-China relations, with Taiwan at the center of ongoing military and diplomatic rivalry. Beijing claims the island as part of its own territory; Taiwan and China split after a civil war in 1949. President Lai, who took office in 2024, has stated that Taiwan and Beijing "do not belong to each other" and that "the People's Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan." Beijing has labeled him a separatist and called him a "destroyer of peace." Since taking office, Lai has increased defense spending commitments and pushed through a special budget for the construction of a T-Dome air defense system.
The Justice Department has in recent years pursued a series of prosecutions targeting alleged covert agents working to advance Beijing's interests on American soil. Many cases have centered on what prosecutors describe as China's effort to locate and harass pro-democracy activists residing in the United States and to suppress their public activity. The department has also alleged that Beijing cultivates relationships with American political figures in order to shape U.S. public opinion.
In a related case from May, Eileen Wang, then-mayor of Arcadia in Southern California, agreed to plead guilty to one count of acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government and resigned from her position. Wang was accused of carrying out tasks for Chinese officials — including distributing articles favorable to Beijing — without the prior notification required by U.S. law.
Source: NYT US News