Following a prisoner swap negotiated by the Biden administration, three Americans jailed in China were released in exchange for three Chinese inmates in the United States.
Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung are returning to the United States, according to a statement released on Wednesday by the National Security Council (NSC).
Chinese authorities revealed on Wednesday that the trade, which involved the release of three Chinese people in US detention, had been planned for months.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a statement Wednesday “Through the unremitting efforts of the Chinese Government, the three Chinese citizens wrongfully detained by the United States have returned to their motherland safely.”
“China has always been firmly opposed to the suppression and persecution of Chinese nationals by the United States for political purposes,” said Wang.
President Biden raised the issue of Americans wrongfully detained in China directly with President Xi Jinping earlier this month when the two met during the Apec summit in Peru, according to an American official familiar with the negotiations.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also urged for their return during his visit to China in August.
Mr Swidan, 48, had been detained since 2012 and was facing the death penalty after a conviction for narcotics trafficking.
Swidan denied the charges and the State Department classified him as wrongfully detained, previously raising concerns about his health.
Mark Li, 60, had been held in China since September 2016 on what activists say were trumped-up spying charges.
John Leung, 78, has lead several pro-Beijing groups in the US. He was arrested in 2021 and sentenced to life in prison on espionage charges two years later.
According to the New York Times, various US officials said they had discussed releasing 42-year-old Chinese national Xu Yanjun, who was convicted of espionage in the US two years ago and sentenced to 20 years.
Xu was the first Chinese government intelligence officer to be extradited to the United States for prosecution, according to the Justice Department.
As of Wednesday morning, Xu was recorded in the Bureau of Prisons system as “not in BOP custody”.
The agreement is a diplomatic victory for Biden in the last months of his presidency.
