Wanying “Heather” Zhang: California woman arrested for spying for China and monitoring Taiwan president’s son, officials say
The FBI arrested a 34-year-old California woman on Sunday who was accused of acting as an unregistered agent for China and surveilling the son of Taiwan’s president and his family, federal officials said.
Wanying “Heather” Zhang, of Irvine, allegedly monitored a close relative of a Taiwanese government official after traveling to Seattle in 2025, according to a federal complaint.
The complaint signed Saturday alleges that Zhang was ordered by Chinese authorities to gather information and take photos of his relative, who is not named in the complaint. The FBI said in a social media post that Zhang was monitoring the son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te and his family.
China’s ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) considers Taiwan part of its territory, although it has never controlled it and has long vowed to “unify” the island with the Chinese mainland, by force if necessary.
Lai has long faced Beijing’s wrath for defending the sovereignty of Taiwan, a self-governing democracy of about 24 million people. The Chinese government and state media regularly berate him, calling him a dangerous separatist, a “troublemaker” and a “warmaker,” while rejecting his repeated offers for talks.
Zhang and a person called “Individual 1” flew from Las Vegas to Seattle on September 1, 2025, and went to their relative’s home, FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt said in the complaint.
Footage from a neighbor’s security camera showed Zhang and Individual 1 waiting outside the unnamed relative’s home in a rented black SUV, the complaint states.
When the relative and his family arrived home, Zhang and Individual 1 “quickly sat down in a black SUV, took out what appeared to be their phones, and held their phones out in a manner indicating that they were taking photos and/or videos of the family.”
“…the location and photos of the close relatives of a high-ranking Taiwan government official, including photos of their homes and cars, could be useful to the PRC” if the Chinese government “desired to gain influence over the president of Taiwan during a potential conflict,” the complaint states, referring to the People’s Republic of China, the country’s official name.
It is unclear whether Zhang has an attorney. CNN has contacted the FBI, Department of Justice and the Chinese Embassy for further details. China is currently observing a week-long national holiday, during which government offices are closed.
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Wanying “Heather” Zhang was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday.
Zhang “coordinated the trip with an associate and used techniques to avoid detection. She never informed the Attorney General that she was acting for a foreign government, a federal offense,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said in a social media post.
She will appear in federal court in Los Angeles on Monday for her first appearance, Essayli said.
Karen Kuo, a spokesperson for Taiwan’s presidential office, condemned Zhang’s alleged actions, calling them “classic transnational repression.”
Under the long-standing “One China” policy, the United States recognizes the Chinese position that Taiwan is part of China, but has never officially recognized the Communist Party’s claim to the self-governing island.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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