The FBI arrested Wanying Zhang at Los Angeles International Airport before she was due to fly to Shanghai. Federal authorities accuse her of secretly surveilling relatives of Taiwan’s president at the direction of Chinese officials. The allegations have not been proven in court.
According to investigators, Zhang and an accomplice travelled to the Seattle area in September 2025 and watched the home of President Lai Ching-te’s son. Prosecutors allege they sent a Chinese official photographs and videos, as well as the license plate numbers of vehicles outside the home.
The complaint says Zhang travelled to China in June 2025 and met with government officials. Investigators say she was instructed at those meetings to conduct surveillance after returning to the United States.
Zhang is charged with acting as an unregistered agent of the People’s Republic of China without notifying the attorney general. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in federal prison. She appeared in federal court in Los Angeles after her arrest.