Three American citizens imprisoned for years by China have been released and are returning to the United States, the White House said, announcing a rare diplomatic agreement with Beijing in the final months of the Biden administration.
The Chinese government also announced yesterday that the United States had returned four people to China, including at least three Chinese citizens who it said had been held for “political purposes”, and a person who had been sought by Beijing for crimes and had been living in the United States. It did not identify the four.
The three Americans released by Beijing are Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung, all of whom had been designated by the US government as wrongfully detained by China.
Swidan had been facing a death sentence on drug charges while Li and Leung were imprisoned on espionage charges.
“Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years,” the White House said in a statement on Wednesday.
The release comes just two months after China freed David Lin, a Christian pastor from California who had spent nearly 20 years behind bars after being convicted of contract fraud.
The release of Americans deemed wrongfully detained in China has been a top agenda item in each conversation between the US and China, and Wednesday’s development suggests a willingness by Beijing to engage with the outgoing Democratic administration before Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January.
Trump took significant actions against China on trade and diplomacy during his first term.
He has pledged to continue those policies in his second term, leading to unease among many who fear that an all-out trade war will greatly affect the international economy and could spur potential Chinese military action against Taiwan.
Still, the two countries have maintained a dialogue that has included a partial restoration of military-to-military contacts.
President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met this month to discuss potential improvements.
In a separate but related move, the State Department on Wednesday lowered its travel warning to China to “level two”, advising US citizens to “exercise increased caution” from the norm when travelling to the mainland.
The alert had previously been at “level three,” telling Americans they should “reconsider travel” to China in part because of the “risk of wrongful detention” of Americans.
Politico was first to report the men’s release, which it said was part of a prisoner swap with the US.
The White House did not immediately confirm that any Chinese citizens in American custody had been returned home.
However, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced in Beijing yesterday that “three Chinese citizens have returned to the motherland safe and sound.”
“China always firmly opposes US suppression and persecution of Chinese nationals for political purposes, and we will continue taking necessary measures to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese nationals,” she said.
She added that a fourth person, “a fugitive who escaped to the US many years ago, has also been repatriated to China.”
Senators from both US political parties praised the release of the Americans.
Republican Sen Ted Cruz of Texas said he was “overjoyed” and credited senior Biden administration officials with having “worked tirelessly to secure this achievement.”
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who said he had worked for years to try to secure Li’s release, welcomed the news. — AP
