Three Americans who had been imprisoned in China for years arrived in the United States on Wednesday evening, following a prisoner exchange between Washington and Beijing.
This rare diplomatic arrangement, announced by the White House early Wednesday, represents a notable collaboration between the two nations as U.S. President Joe Biden nears the end of his term.
On Thursday, Chinese authorities confirmed that the United States returned four individuals to China as part of the swap. Among them were three Chinese nationals that Beijing claimed were detained for “political purposes.” The fourth individual was reportedly wanted in China for alleged crimes before fleeing to the U.S. The identities of the four individuals have not been publicly disclosed by Beijing.
The three Americans released in the agreement—Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung—arrived late Wednesday at a military base in San Antonio, Texas. Speaking about their return, President Biden told reporters Thursday morning, “I’m so glad they’re back,” expressing his relief at the resolution.
Swidan had been sentenced to death on drug-related charges, while Li and Leung were serving prison sentences under charges of espionage. U.S. officials previously categorized all three as unjustly detained.
In an associated development, the State Department reduced its travel advisory level for China on Wednesday from “Level 3: Reconsider Travel” to “Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution.” Americans are now advised to remain vigilant when traveling to China. The previous advisory cited risks such as the “wrongful detention” of U.S. citizens.
The prisoner exchange comes on the heels of China’s release of David Lin, a California-based Christian pastor who spent nearly two decades in Chinese prison after being convicted of contract fraud. Lin’s release occurred two months prior to Wednesday’s swap.
Additionally, in August, the U.S. carried out another significant prisoner exchange, this time with Russia. That exchange saw the release of American journalists Alsu Kurmasheva and Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, and Russian opposition figure and permanent U.S. resident Vladimir Kara-Murza.