US Attorney warns China's espionage is 'very pervasive' and Beijing 'is playing a long game'

Bill Essayli, the acting U.S. Attorney, says Chinese espionage is "very pervasive" after his office brought espionage charges in recent months.

Chinese spying is 'very pervasive' and Beijing is 'playing the long game', US prosecutor warns

Chinese espionage is "very pervasive" in the United States, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Esaily said after the arrest of a Chinese operative in Los Angeles this month.

"I think it's very pervasive," Essaili says of Chinese espionage. China is one of our biggest enemies, and they are committed to advancing their interests. And they're playing the long game, so they're willing to put a lot of resources into developing resources, recruiting people inside the United States to advance their interests.

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They want to steal our technology. They are willing to spy here. Therefore, there is no limit to what China is willing to do. This is a big, big concern. We must be vigilant and we must disrupt this operation on our soil.

"If you just look at the cases that we've brought to my office this year, I mean, you had a case where the woman from Irvine was spying against a family member of the president of Taiwan. I had a guy that we arrested last week, he sold over $300 million worth of SI chips, formerly called artificial intelligence chips, to China.

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"So, it's very pervasive. It's a big problem, but the FBI is working on it," he said. "They have entire teams to fight this and we here at the U.S. Attorney's Office are committed to supporting these investigations and bringing criminal charges for disrupting these operations."

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Authorities arrested Zhang, who goes by "Heider" in the United States, at the Los Angeles airport as he was about to board a plane bound for China.

Los Angeles FBI agents arrested Zhang on federal charges of being an unregistered agent of the People's Republic of China, Issaili said.

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He allegedly traveled to Seattle in 2025 at the behest of Chinese authorities and sent them photos, videos and license plate information.

"He coordinated the trip with an associate and used vehicles to avoid detection," Esayili wrote. "He never informed the Attorney General that he was working for a foreign government, a federal crime."

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Speaking on "The Big Weekend Show" on Sunday, Essaili said Zhang is a U.S. citizen and confirmed the alleged surveillance targeted a relative of Taiwan's president.

"He was conducting surveillance on behalf of the Chinese government," Israel said. "He was acting as a foreign agent, spying on a relative of the president of Taiwan here in the United States."

Citing law enforcement sources, CBS News reported that the alleged target was Ting Yu Lai, the US-based son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. He is not named in the complaint.

"I saw him. young man It's young," Zhang apparently texted a Chinese government caller while out and about.

"I'm recording video," he allegedly added before sending two license plate numbers.

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