First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli described Chinese espionage as "extremely pervasive" in the United States, citing recent arrests of alleged agents and the sale of advanced technology to Beijing. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Essayli stated that his office has pressed charges against several individuals suspected of spying for China in recent months. He characterized the Chinese government as brazen in its attempts to build access within the U.S., noting that Beijing is "playing the long game" by dedicating significant resources to recruiting sources and stealing technology. "There's no limit to what China is willing to do," Essayli said. "It is a huge, huge concern."
Essayli pointed to specific cases handled by his office to illustrate the scope of the threat. He referenced the arrest of Wanying Zhang, a 34-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from Irvine, California, who was detained at Los Angeles International Airport earlier this month. According to a criminal complaint obtained by Fox News Digital, Zhang allegedly traveled to Seattle in 2025 at the direction of Chinese officials to photograph and record a family outside their home. Essayli confirmed that the surveillance targeted Ting-Yu Lai, the U.S.-based son of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, though the complaint does not name him. CBS News reported that law enforcement sources identified Lai as the target. Zhang was charged with acting as an unregistered agent of the People's Republic of China. "She coordinated the trip with an associate and used tradecraft to avoid detection," Essayli wrote in a statement. "She never notified the attorney general she was acting for a foreign government, a federal offense."
Beyond the surveillance operation, Essayli cited other recent prosecutions involving economic espionage and political influence. He mentioned a case involving an individual arrested last week for selling more than $300 million in system-in-memory chips, formerly known as AI chips, to China. Additionally, he noted the charging of a local mayor for serving as an unregistered agent of China, alleging the official pushed out propaganda and took orders from Beijing while in office. Essayli emphasized that the FBI has dedicated squads combating these activities and that his office remains committed to supporting investigations to disrupt such operations on U.S. soil. "We have to protect our sovereignty," he said.