United States.. Woman Arrested on Suspicion of "Espionage for China"

U.S. authorities have arrested a woman "suspected of spying for China" by "monitoring the son of the Taiwanese president and his family" in the United States, before she was able to board a flight to Shanghai, according to "Bloomberg."

Bill Essley, senior assistant to the attorney general in Los Angeles, stated on the platform "X" that the FBI arrested Waning Chang, 34, at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday local time, before she was set to leave for China.

Chang has been charged with acting as an "unregistered agent for China," and she also faces accusations of monitoring the son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te and his family in 2025, by photographing their home and vehicles, and then relaying the information to "her contacts" in China.

The announcement came days after a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, reminding once again of their disputes over Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing considers part of its territory.

The two leaders agreed during Xi's visit to Washington to stabilize relations, and the Chinese president urged the United States to "oppose" Taiwan's independence, which could represent a shift in Washington's long-standing position.

The member countries of the Five Eyes alliance warned of Chinese intelligence agencies attempting to target government and military officials through fake accounts on recruitment platforms.

At the same time, Beijing sought to continue pressuring Taipei by resorting to methods including attempts to deepen its international isolation.

After the announcement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Karen Kuo, spokesperson for the Taiwanese president's office, stated that the case represents a "textbook example of transnational repression."

Kuo said: "Taiwan strongly condemns such barbaric acts that disregard human rights and the sovereignty of other countries, aiming to suppress, threaten, or even harm individuals who defend freedom and democracy, or their family members."

Since 2025 until early 2026, Taiwan has accused 58 individuals of suspected espionage on behalf of China.

Last year, four members of the ruling Progressive Democratic Party were sentenced to prison after being convicted of transferring classified government information to Chinese intelligence, including a former employee of Lai when he was vice president, although one of them was acquitted on appeal in June.

Chang is scheduled to appear before a federal court in Los Angeles on Tuesday for her first hearing.

The case comes months after the mayor of a Los Angeles suburb pleaded guilty to charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent on behalf of China in the United States. The FBI stated that Chang resides in Irvine, California.