Rep. Judy Chu Issues Statement on Zhang Wanying Espionage Case, Says She Is 'Deeply Troubled' by the Allegations
Rep. Judy Chu released a statement in Pasadena on October 15 responding to the FBI's October 4 arrest of an individual accused of spying on the son of Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te in Seattle at the direction of the Chinese government. 'I am deeply troubled by allegations that the Chinese government conducted a spying operation here in the United States targeting the son and family of President Lai Ching-te,' Chu said. Chu is Chair Emerita of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); her office published the statement in its press release section.
The defendant in the case is Wanying Zhang, a 34-year-old real estate agent from Irvine. She was arrested on October 4 at Los Angeles International Airport and charged with acting as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the Attorney General. A Justice Department complaint alleges that between June and September 2025 she traveled to the Seattle suburbs, surveilled the home of Lai Ching-te's son and his family, took photographs and sent them back. At an October 7 detention hearing in Los Angeles federal court, Judge Steve Kim found her to be a flight risk, denied bail and remanded her into custody; her next court appearance is set for October 19. Zhang has been charged only and has not yet been indicted.
Chu's statement is the latest congressional reaction to the case. GSM has previously reported Zhang's arrest, first court appearance and the denial of bail, and will continue to follow the proceedings.
Related:
Related:
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：众议员赵美心在国会山一场论坛上发表讲话（资料图，2020年2月）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，公共领域。Photo: Rep. Judy Chu speaking at a forum on Capitol Hill (file photo, February 2020). Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain).
- 2026-10-04FBI Arrests Irvine Realtor at LAX as Unregistered Agent of China
- 2026-10-05Irvine Agent Case: Complaint Details WeChat Exchanges Ahead of First Court Appearance
- 2026-10-06Irvine Woman Arrested at LAX, Accused of Spying for China on Taiwan President's Son
- 2026-10-06Accused Chinese Agent Wanying Zhang Makes First Court Appearance; Hearing Continued to Wednesday
- 2026-10-07Irvine Realtor's Bail Denied in Alleged China Agent Case
- 2026-10-17Rep. Judy Chu Issues Statement on Zhang Wanying Espionage Case, Says She Is 'Deeply Troubled' by the AllegationsThis story
- 2026-10-18Irvine Woman Wanying Zhang Indicted on Conspiracy and Unregistered Foreign Agent Charges
- 2026-10-20Statements on the Zhang Wanying Case: China's Foreign Ministry Says It Is Not Familiar With the Case and Opposes Hyping "Chinese Spies"; U.S. State Department Vows to Protect People in the U.S.
- 2026-10-22Follow-Up: CBS Identifies 'Individual 1' in the Zhang Wanying Case as Irvine Builder Fatai Miao, Whose Home Was Searched by the FBI
- 2026-10-23Follow-Up: Zhang Wanying Pleads Not Guilty in Los Angeles: Trial Set for November 30 in Alleged Unregistered Chinese Agent Case
