Chinese-American real estate agent arrested for spying on Lai Ching-te's son and charged with acting as Chinese agent

Chinese-American real estate agent arrested for spying on Lai Ching-te's son, accused of acting as Chinese agent

The FBI arrested a woman suspected of working for the Chinese government at Los Angeles International Airport. She was accused of spying on Lai Tingyu, the son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.

According to the BBC's US partner CBS, 34-year-old Wanying "Heather" Zhang was arrested on Sunday (October 4) when she entered Los Angeles International Airport and prepared to board a flight to Shanghai, China. She was charged with one count of "acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government."

Zhang Wanying's husband, Edric Ding (transliteration), also works for the same company. When CBS called CBS on Sunday to ask for information about the case, Mr. Ding said, "I don't know anything at the moment."

After the news of the law enforcement operation was announced, Taiwan's Presidential Office criticized the stalking behavior as "barbaric" on Monday (5th) and expressed "severe condemnation" of it.

Zhang Wanying lives in Irvine, California and is a real estate agent. A verified LinkedIn account believed to belong to her shows that Zhang Wanying graduated from the Beijing Institute of International Relations. According to the BBC Chinese reporter, the college has close ties with the Chinese authorities and is relatively strong in national security, international issues and foreign languages.

After graduating from her undergraduate degree, Zhang Wanying went to the University of South California to study for a master's degree in public administration. After graduation, she stayed in the United States to work in the real estate industry.

Some promotional posters circulated on social media mentioned that Zhang Wanying had "ranked among the top three in performance for two consecutive years" in her real estate agency and called herself "Southern California's millionaire agent."

It is unclear whether Zhang Wanying has hired a lawyer. According to information released through X (formerly known as Twitter) by Bill Essayli, the first assistant prosecutor of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, Zhang Wanying will appear in court for the first time on Monday (5th) in the Los Angeles federal court.

Esayli emphasized that all defendants are presumed innocent until found guilty by a court.

Taiwan: Condemns "transnational repression"

The Los Angeles arrests come as Taiwan enters the campaign for local elections. At the same time, Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Jialong will also visit Phoenix, Arizona on Monday to attend the unveiling ceremony of the Taiwan Office in Phoenix.

In response to the US action, Taiwan Presidential Office spokesperson Kuo Yahui said that this is a typical transnational crackdown aimed at suppressing and threatening. Taiwan expresses its severe condemnation of this kind of barbaric behavior that ignores human rights and the sovereignty of various countries, and even harms people who advocate freedom and democracy or their families. Such behavior should not be tolerated in the civilized world.

Kuo Yahui said that Taiwan would like to thank the U.S. judicial authorities for their assistance and protection to the Taiwanese people, and reiterated the cooperation between Taiwan and democratic allies in countries such as the United States.

According to CBS, FBI agent Kevin Holt wrote in a criminal complaint filed on the 3rd: "If the People's Republic of China hopes to gain leverage against the president of Taiwan in any potential future conflict, having the residence location and photos of close relatives of senior Taiwanese government officials, including photos of their homes and vehicles, may be of value to the Chinese government."

Essaili elaborated on the arrest on

The Chinese authorities have not responded to this matter in any form.

Monitor whereabouts

CBS reported that according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court by members of the FBI counterintelligence team, during a trip to Seattle, Washington, in September 2025, Zhang Wanying and one of her associates filmed near the suburban home of the family of a senior Taiwanese official.

Taiwanese media previously reported that Lai Tinghe, the son of Lai Qingde, who is now in his 30s, has been studying and working in the United States for a long time. He works for the Dutch multinational company Philips and has a son with his wife.

The complaint attached a screenshot of a neighbor's surveillance video. The picture showed that Zhang Wanying and the two seemed to be filming Lai Ting and his family. They sent a message to the Chinese government contact on WeChat, a commonly used communication software in China, "I saw him, a young man, that's the young one." Then she said, "I am recording," and attached two license plate numbers.

The FBI said the information was obtained through Apple iCloud accounts.

The complaint also records that in June 2025, Zhang Wanying met a Chinese government official after being introduced by a university classmate, and went to Changsha, Hunan to have a meeting in a private room.

She then sent the officer a message: "I can handle this." On August 26, Zhang Wanying sent a message on WeChat saying, "I will be busy with work in Los Angeles this week and will probably go to Seattle next week." The other party replied, "Okay, thank you for your hard work."

"Long-arm law enforcement" suspected

In the past few years, Chinese government personnel have been discovered by many countries to have sent many spies to monitor and harass Chinese overseas dissidents and pro-democracy activists.

The U.S. Department of Justice has previously warned that China's security agencies have launched a global pursuit plan called "Operation Fox Hunt" with the goal of tracking down and repatriating individuals wanted by China around the world, including political opponents identified by the Chinese government.