US FBI arrests Chinese agent Zhang Wanying suspected of spying on Lai Qingde's eldest son

A US investigation pointed out that it was through the school's connections that Chang Wanying (right) met Chinese officials and accepted the task of secretly filming Lai Ting, the eldest son of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, and his family in the United States. This may become a bargaining chip for pressure from the Beijing authorities in future potential conflicts. (Picture taken from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California)

The FBI recently arrested Chinese agent Zhang Wanying at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of following Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's eldest son, Lai Ting-yu. In a criminal complaint in federal court, the detective in charge pointed out the strategic motivation behind the operation and assessed that if the relevant photos of the residence and car fell into the hands of Beijing, they might become a key bargaining chip to exert influence on Taiwan's president in any potential future conflicts.

CBS reported that FBI Special Agent Kevin Holt pointed out in a criminal complaint submitted to the court that Wanying "Heather" Zhang, a 34-year-old female real estate agent in California, and a male accomplice took a flight to Seattle, Washington, on September 1, 2025, and rented a black Nissan SUV to wait around Laiting and her residence.

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A nearby surveillance camera showed that Zhang Wanying and her accomplices were filming the process of Lai Ting returning home with his wife and children. Investigators obtained Zhang Wanying's cloud communication records through a search warrant, which showed that she immediately reported to Chinese officials via WeChat, "I saw him, a young man, that's the young one" and "I'm recording", and attached two sets of license plate numbers.

In his complaint, Holt assessed that the specific residences and photos of close relatives of Taiwanese officials could be of great use to Beijing if China wished to influence Taiwan's president in any potential conflict.

Beijing Institute of International Studies and Guaranteeing and Guaranteeing connects Changsha to take over the task

The complaint records that Zhang Wanying graduated from the Beijing Institute of International Relations, which has close ties to China’s Ministry of State Security. In June 2025, she met a Chinese government official through a classmate at the school. In the same month, she went to Changsha City, Hunan Province to meet with the official and receive supervision instructions. On August 26 of the same year, Zhang Wanying informed the official that she expected to go to Seattle the next week, and the official replied to express her gratitude.

Zhang Wanying usually works for a real estate agency in Irvine, California, and her husband is also an agent in the same company. When the media called to inquire, her husband said he did not know yet and refused to respond. U.S. law enforcement agencies stated that Zhang Wanying had contact with at least two people suspected of working for the Chinese government. She was arrested at the Los Angeles Airport before flying to Shanghai on the 4th. She is currently facing criminal charges such as illegally acting as an agent of a foreign government.