From million-dollar mansions to surveillance missions, the life and travels of an alleged Chinese agent

October 6, 2026 / 7:58 PM EDT / CBS News

From million-dollar mansions to surveillance missions, the life and travels of an alleged Chinese agent

TL;DR

  • Wanying 'Heather' Zhang, a 34-year-old California realtor, was arrested for allegedly acting as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government.
  • She is accused of surveilling the son of Taiwan's president in the U.S. at the direction of Chinese government officials.
  • Zhang attended the University of International Relations in Beijing, run by China's Ministry of State Security.
  • She was involved with Chinese American advocacy groups, including the All American Chinese Association (AACA), which has deep ties to the Chinese government.
  • Her alleged activities bear similarities to those of suspected Chinese spy Fang 'Christine' Fang, who also attended the University of International Relations.