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California Woman Accused of Spying on Taiwan President’s Family for China. A California woman accused of acting as an unregistered Chinese agent has been jailed while awaiting trial over an alleged surveillance operation targeting the family of Taiwan’s president. Wanying “Heather” Zhang, 34, was arrested by the FBI at Los Angeles International Airport as she prepared to board a flight to China. Prosecutors allege that Zhang travelled to Seattle in September 2025 on instructions from Chinese officials to monitor the U.S.-based family of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. She is accused of photographing and recording Lai’s son, Lai Ting-yu, and collecting information including vehicle licence plate details. Investigators say Zhang communicated with Chinese contacts through WeChat and stored evidence of the alleged operation on her iCloud account. Zhang, a naturalised U.S. citizen, is also alleged to have had connections to China’s intelligence community and to have studied at a Beijing university known for recruitment. Taiwan has condemned the alleged operation as an example of repression, while Chinese authorities have denied knowledge of the case and rejected the theory of espionage. The case comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over espionage, foreign influence and Taiwan's sovereignty.
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