A woman accused of spying for China has been arrested in the U.S.

Wanying Zhang, 34, was arrested in California and is accused of carrying out espionage activities on behalf of Beijing, targeting the entourage of a Taiwanese official in the United States.

According to U.S. federal prosecutors, Zhang allegedly traveled to Seattle in 2025, at the direction of Chinese officials, to surveil a person close to an official of the Taiwanese government. She allegedly sent them photographs, video recordings, and information about the license plate numbers of vehicles.

The information was presented by Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, in a message posted on the X platform. The woman lives in Irvine, California, and U.S. authorities claim that she acted as an undercover agent for the People's Republic of China.

FBI Director Kash Patel welcomed the arrest and warned that the United States would not tolerate espionage operations carried out by foreign adversaries on American soil. He suggested that Zhang had attempted to leave the country on a flight to Shanghai.

Wanying Zhang is scheduled to appear before a federal court. The charges must be proven in court, and the investigation is ongoing.