Wanying Zhang pleads not guilty to acting as Chinese agent

Wanying Zhang, a 34-year-old Southern California realtor, pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles federal courtroom to charges that she acted as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government. Prosecutors allege that Zhang conspired with Chinese intelligence officials to conduct a surveillance mission targeting the son of the Taiwanese president in a Seattle suburb in September 2025.

Zhang was arrested earlier this month at Los Angeles International Airport while attempting to board a flight to China. Court filings claim Zhang was accompanied on the alleged surveillance mission by Fatai Miao, a construction entrepreneur who has since traveled to China; Miao has not been charged with a crime.

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for November 12, with a trial expected to begin on November 30 at a federal courthouse in Santa Ana, California. The trial is estimated to last approximately four days.