FBI Arrests CCP Agent Monitoring Lai Ching-te's Son; Taiwan Government: Condemning the CCP's Barbaric Acts of Transnational Repression
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Wanying Zhang, a California resident who was acting under the direction of the Chinese government to surveil Lai Ting-yu, the son of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, at Los Angeles International Airport. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California charged Zhang with acting as an unregistered foreign agent, and FBI Director Kash Patel strongly condemned the transnational espionage activities. The Office of the President of Taiwan and the Mainland Affairs Council expressed their strongest condemnation, thanked U.S. judicial authorities for their protection, and pointed out that the number of people targeted by transnational repression against Taiwan has reached 126.
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The FBI criminal complaint states that Wanying Zhang, who resides in California, was instructed by Chinese government officials to surveil Lai Ting-yu, the son of Lai Ching-te.
In September 2025, Zhang traveled to Seattle and waited outside Lai Ting-yu's residence to photograph him.
The FBI arrested Zhang at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday while he was planning to travel to China.
Bill Ezzell, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, posted on his X page that FBI agents escorted Zhang, a 34-year-old resident of Irvine, California, at the airport terminal and charged him with acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
FBI Director Kash Patel also posted on X regarding foreign hostile forces, stating that the United States is no longer a place where they can safely engage in espionage.
Patel said that it is not so easy to be suspected of surveilling the family of a foreign leader within the U.S. on behalf of the Chinese government and then try to hop on a plane back to Shanghai. He added that the current FBI will find those who threaten U.S. national security, no matter where they hide, and bring them to justice.
Taiwan Presidential Office spokesperson Kuo Ya-hui thanked the U.S. on Monday for protecting Taiwanese citizens and criticized China's transnational repression.
Regarding the U.S. judicial authorities' uncovering of China's suspected illegal surveillance of President Lai's family, this is a typical case of transnational repression. We express our strongest condemnation for such barbaric acts that disregard human rights and threaten those who advocate for freedom and democracy or their families. Such behavior should not be tolerated in the civilized world.
In addition to thanking U.S. judicial authorities for their assistance and protection of our citizens, Taiwan will continue to cooperate with all democratic allies, including the United States, to jointly combat such illegal acts of transnational repression.
The Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan also issued a press release stating that the CCP continues to engage in transnational repression around the world, and that the number of people targeted by transnational repression against Taiwan has reached at least 126, involving 140 incidents.
After Zhang's arrest, his profile on Zillow, the largest real estate platform in the U.S., was also exposed. The company he works for is JC Pacific Capital Inc., where he has served as a real estate agent for ten years, and there are two suspicious customer reviews on the webpage.
Reported by VOA reporter Liu Anming from Washington.