Barbaric Acts: Chinese Espionage on Taiwanese Government Officials
In recent decades China has increased its aggressive campaign to undermine Taiwan’s stability through espionage operations. These operations are not new, and have increased significantly in both sophistication and number of cases uncovered, making them one of the most urgent security threats for Taiwan. The number of spy cases has increased significantly over the past few years with 40 spy cases being uncovered during 2011 to 2023 by the Taiwan military’s counterintelligence units, compared to just 13 spy cases uncovered between 2001 to 2009. Additionally, in 2017, the Taiwanese government estimated that more than 5,000 Chinese spies were operating within the island’s borders.
Although, espionage is not confined to only being a threat within the island. A suspected sleeper agent, who went by the name Heather, has most recently been discovered in California on October 5, 2026. The FBI arrested Wanying Zhang, a real estate agent who had been living in Southern California for 10 years, at LA International Airport as she was leaving the country. She was accused of spying on the Taiwanese president’s son who resided in Seattle. She allegedly sent photos, videos and license plate information to the Chinese government. The Justice Department stated that this is not the first case but rather one of many involving China’s efforts to locate and harass pro-democracy activists living in the United States.
Zhang graduated from the University of International Relations in Beijing, which is known to be affiliated with China’s intelligence apparatus. After graduating she had remained in contact with a former classmate who had gone to work as an official for China’s government.
On Wednesday, October 7, a judge sided with federal prosecutors that argued that Zhang was a flight risk. Therefore, she will remain in pretrial detention following the ruling made by U.S. Magistrate Judge Steve Kim. She is due back in court as early as October 19. How the government decides to handle this case could determine how future espionage cases are dealt with, and as more information is uncovered it could reveal to what extent Chinese espionage on Taiwan has an impact on United States national security when it takes place on U.S. soil.
China and Taiwan continue to have political tension exacerbated by their contrasting opinions of each other's governments. Taiwan’s president disagrees stating that the “People’s Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan.” Meanwhile, China considers Lai a separatist and has called him a “destroyer of peace.”
Taiwan has taken action in responding to these cases through the Anti-Infiltration Act enacted under President Lai Ching-te in March 2025, which lays out 17 strategies aimed at defending the island against Chinese subversion and espionage. Lai has also pledged to increase defense spending by 3%-5% of Taiwan’s GDP.
China’s espionage efforts threaten Taiwan’s democracy, and they may also fuel broader suspicion of Chinese Americans in the United States. As more espionage cases come to light in an era in which suspicion of immigrants is already high, and immigration policy has become stricter, it will become increasingly important to distinguish the CCP from the Chinese American community as a whole. China’s espionage through spies living in foreign countries also poses a threat to those countries’ information being accessible to the Chinese government, creating a national security threat that not only affects Taiwan’s independence, but all other countries tied to them either politically or by proximity.