Los Angeles: The FBI arrested a California real estate agent as she prepared to go to China, accusing her of secretly working for Beijing to spy on Taiwan’s president and his family in the United States, according to federal officials. The lawsuit comes at a sensitive time for US-China ties, with Taiwan still at the focus of their military and diplomatic conflict. Beijing claims the island as part of its territory.
The FBI and US prosecutors allege that Wanying Zhang surveilled the president’s son’s home and transferred images, videos, and license plate information for his vehicles to a Chinese government official. The alleged target is not named in the federal criminal complaint, but the FBI’s fast reaction account on social media site X identified him as the president’s son. The president’s older son, Ting-Yu Lai, is an engineer who lives and works in Seattle.
Zhang, a 34-year-old Irvine real estate agent also known as Heather, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday and charged with working for China as an unregistered agent, according to First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli. Zhang is a naturalised US citizen, according to Shawn Lewis, a representative for the US Attorney’s Office. Zhang appeared in federal court in downtown Los Angeles on Monday for an initial hearing to ensure she understood her rights. She has not yet been formally indicted.
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