CCP Turns California Realtors and Builders into Spies Against Taiwan’s President’s Family The FBI’s October 4, 2026 arrest of California realtor Wanying “Heather” Zhang at LAX, moments before her flight to Shanghai, exposes the Chinese Communist Party’s routine use of ordinary overseas Chinese professionals for transnational repression. Zhang, a 34-year-old U.S. citizen, is charged with acting as an unregistered agent of the PRC. Court documents allege that after meeting Chinese officials in China (introduced via a University of International Relations classmate linked to the Ministry of State Security), she was tasked with surveilling the Seattle-area home of Lai Ting-yu, the son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, along with his wife and young child. In September 2025, Zhang and an accomplice flew to the Pacific Northwest, rented an SUV, filmed the family arriving home, and sent videos, photos, and license-plate numbers to Chinese handlers. Texts captured her reporting: “Saw him. Young male. It’s that young one” and “I am videorecording.” CBS News identified the accomplice as Fatai Miao, a Chinese-born California construction entrepreneur and longtime associate of Zhang. He reportedly took a one-way flight back to China roughly two weeks earlier; FBI agents later raided his empty Irvine home. He has not been charged, and his son denies he is a Chinese agent. This is classic CCP United Front and intelligence tradecraft: co-opt diaspora members with legitimate jobs and local networks, then deploy them for low-profile surveillance of democratic figures and their families. No need for trained spies when everyday realtors and builders will do the job—and then flee to China when exposed. The case underscores Beijing’s contempt for U.S. sovereignty and its determination to intimidate Taiwanese democrats on American soil. Aric’s note: The video is a related news segment from the World News I anchor.