California Chinese woman, Zhang Wanying, was arrested on Sunday, October 4, on suspicion of acting on orders from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and surveilling the son of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. This incident continues to draw attention, with the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on China issuing a statement on Tuesday, October 6, stating that this is another blatant violation of U.S. sovereignty by the CCP.
The Committee on China, officially known as the “U.S.-China Strategic Competition Committee,” stated that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Zhang Wanying, who is suspected of serving as an agent for the Chinese government, at Los Angeles International Airport. She is accused of surveilling the adult son of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, who resides in the Seattle area. The criminal complaint filed by the FBI shows that Zhang Wanying and an individual referred to as “Individual 1” flew from Las Vegas to Seattle on September 1, 2025, rented a black Nissan Rogue car, and drove to Lai Ching-te’s residence to film his family and record the vehicle’s license plate number—all actions carried out under the direction of officials from the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
“The Chinese Communist Party has once again been found surveilling and harassing innocent people within the United States, blatantly violating our nation’s sovereignty,” said Committee Chair John Moolenaar. “This action appears to be aimed at assisting the CCP in taking further actions against the relatives of Taiwan’s president residing in the United States. It sends a chilling warning: the CCP’s ambition to destabilize the Taiwan Strait poses a global threat.”
“I commend the law enforcement for apprehending this individual. She will face a fair trial, something that anyone charged with similar crimes in China could never receive,” Moolenaar stated. “I condemn the CCP’s infringement of U.S. sovereignty and its dangerous provocations against Taiwan. I hope President Lai and his family know that the Committee on China and the American people stand with them.”
Zhang Wanying appeared in a federal court in Los Angeles on Monday, October 5, for the first time. She is charged with illegally acting as an agent for the CCP within the United States and surveilling the son of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. Zhang Wanying has naturalized as a U.S. citizen. According to the real estate platform Zillow, she currently works at a real estate agency in Irvine, California, with 10 years of experience and fluency in English and Chinese.
Information on Zhang Wanying’s LinkedIn profile indicates that she graduated from an international relations college in 2014. The college is closely associated with China’s national security department and is known as a “spy university” and a cradle for intelligence operatives.