《TAIPEI TIMES》US vows to protect from repression

The U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI arrested Zhang Wanying, a Chinese-born naturalized U.S. citizen, and accused her of being an unregistered Chinese government agent spying on Lai Ting-yu, the son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, and his family.

"We are committed to safeguarding our sovereignty, keeping our communities safe, and defending individuals against overreach by foreign governments and regimes that seek to silence, intimidate, harass, harm, or coerce individuals in the United States," a State Department spokesperson said.

Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said 34-year-old Zhang Wanying, a California real estate agent, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport as she prepared to travel to China. The arrest of Zhang Wanying, a Chinese-born naturalized U.S. citizen, prompted comments from U.S. lawmakers about the security threat posed by Beijing.

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn accused China on the

Essayli said on the X platform that Zhang Wanying was arrested for acting as an unregistered Chinese government agent and spying on a close relative of a senior Taiwanese government official.

FBI Director Kash Patel said on the X platform that the Chinese government allegedly sent an agent to the United States to spy on "the family of the president of Taiwan."

Citing the FBI complaint, CBS News reported that Zhang Wanying and a man identified only as "Individual 1" flew from Las Vegas to Seattle on September 1 last year, rented a car and drove to the residence of Lai Tingyu (Lai Tingyu).

The report states that neighbor security camera footage showed the pair appearing to film Laiting, his wife and their children as they returned home that night.

The report also stated that Zhang Wanying allegedly sent messages to her Chinese government contacts through WeChat, which was discovered after a search warrant was authorized on her iCloud account.

Zhang Wanying appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on Monday but has not yet been formally charged, the Associated Press reported.

Laitingyu is an engineer in his 30s who studied at an American university and currently works for the Dutch electronics company Philips, local media reported.

The presidential palace on Monday condemned the alleged surveillance of Lai Ching-te's son, describing it as "a typical case of transnational repression".

News source: TAIPEI TIMES