The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced on the 5th (local time) that it has arrested 34-year-old Wanying Zhang on charges of acting as a Chinese spy under the direction of Chinese authorities, including surveilling the son of Taiwan's president residing in the United States.

According to the FBI, Zhang is accused of photographing the home and vehicles of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's son and his family in Seattle last year and reporting the related information to her Chinese handlers.

The FBI stated that Zhang, who worked as a real estate agent in California using the alias "Heather," was apprehended at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) just before boarding a flight to Shanghai, China.

Zhang is presumed to be of Chinese descent, and her exact nationality has not been disclosed.

Bill Esserle, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, charged Zhang with acting as an "unregistered agent" for the Chinese government.

Esserle said on X (formerly Twitter) that "she coordinated the trip with an associate and used espionage techniques to evade detection."

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), President Lai's son, Lai Ting-yu, earned a Ph.D. in biotechnology from the University of Washington.

He is known to work at Philips in Bothell, Washington, near Seattle.

A spokesperson for the Taiwan Presidential Office condemned the incident as a "classic case of transnational repression," stating that actions carried out with the intent to "suppress, intimidate, or even harm individuals who advocate for freedom and democracy and their families" are denounced.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that it was unaware of the incident, while adding that China "has always opposed using the so-called hype over Chinese spies to smear and slander China," according to the WSJ.

This is not the first time that individuals of Chinese descent or Chinese nationals directed by Chinese authorities have been suspected of conducting intelligence activities in the U.S. regarding high-ranking Taiwanese figures.

Previously, Yaoning Sun, 65, a resident of California, was sentenced to four years in prison earlier this year for acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government. Sun was convicted of surveilling then-Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's movements during her visit to California in 2023, photographing pro- and anti-test protesters, and reporting the information to Chinese authorities.

(Photo: Captured from the X account of Bill Esserle, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, Yonhap News)