Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 6: A Chinese national has been arrested in the United States for allegedly acting on behalf of Beijing to conduct surveillance on the son of Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, according to US authorities.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Wanying Zhang, also known as “Heather” Zhang, at Los Angeles International Airport on October 4, shortly before she was scheduled to travel to China.
Zhang, 34, from Irvine, California, is accused of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. Prosecutors allege that Chinese officials directed her to monitor Lai Ting-yu, the US-based son of President Lai, as well as his family.
According to the FBI complaint, Zhang and an alleged accomplice travelled to the Seattle area in September 2025, where they allegedly photographed and recorded the family’s residence, vehicles and other details. The information, including photographs, videos and vehicle licence-plate details, was allegedly shared with individuals linked to the Chinese government.
US authorities further allege that Zhang maintained communications with people she believed to be Chinese government officials and used the micro-messaging platform WeChat to transmit information.
The FBI complaint states that Zhang was introduced to a Chinese official through a former classmate at Beijing’s University of International Relations. US authorities say the institution has links to China’s Ministry of State Security.
The case has drawn attention because it involves the family of Taiwan’s sitting president and raises concerns over transnational repression, a term used to describe efforts by governments to monitor, intimidate or pressure people beyond their own borders.
Taiwan’s Presidential Office has reportedly described the alleged surveillance as an instance of transnational repression. The Office condemned the arrest of 34-year-old Wanying Zhang, calling her actions a “typical case of transnational repression” and thanking the U.S. government for protecting Taiwanese citizens.
Presidential spokesperson Karen Kuo stated that Taiwan “expresses the strongest condemnation of such barbaric conduct that disregards human rights and the sovereignty of nations”.
Chinese authorities, meanwhile, have said they were not familiar with the specific case and criticised what they described as US efforts to portray China as a source of espionage threats.
