Seattle:Taiwan's Presidential Office condemned an alleged case of "transnational repression" following a CBS News report claiming that China has been illegally surveilling the son of President Lai Ching-te in the United States.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Presidential Office spokesperson, Karen Kuo, described these acts as "barbaric" and a violation of human rights and national sovereignty. She emphasized that such actions aim to suppress, threaten, or harm those who advocate for freedom and democracy, as well as their families. Kuo stated that this behavior is intolerable in the civilized world.
The spokesperson expressed gratitude to U.S. law enforcement for their assistance in protecting Taiwanese citizens and affirmed that Taiwan would continue collaborating with the United States and other democratic allies to combat illegal transnational activities.
These statements followed a CBS News report that the FBI arrested Wanying "Heather" Zhang, a California real estate agent, at Los Angeles International Airport. Zhang was charged with acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government while attempting to board a flight to Shanghai, China.
As per the CBS News report, a criminal complaint filed by an FBI counterintelligence agent accused Zhang and an accomplice of traveling to Seattle in September 2025 to take photographs of the home of a high-ranking Taiwanese official’s family. Sources identified the target as Lai Ting-yu, President Lai's son.
Lai Ting-yu, an engineer in his 30s, works for Philips and has a young son. The complaint alleged that the gathered photographs and information could be used by China to gain leverage over the Taiwanese president in a future conflict.
The complaint accused Zhang and an individual referred to as "Individual 1" of renting a vehicle and driving to the target's residence. Security camera footage reportedly showed them filming Lai Ting-yu and his family.
Further details in the CBS report indicated that Zhang allegedly communicated with a Chinese government handler through WeChat, and had been in contact with individuals linked to Chinese intelligence.