Harrison Li holds a photo of his father, Kai Li, one of the three American citizens imprisoned for years by China —AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File
WASHINGTON DC — Three American citizens imprisoned for years by China have been released and are returning to the United States, the White House said Wednesday, announcing a rare diplomatic agreement with Beijing in the final months of the Biden administration.
The three 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.
Article continues after this advertisement“Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years,” the White House said in a statement.
FEATURED STORIES GLOBALNATION South Korea scrambles jets as Chinese, Russian warplanes approach GLOBALNATION Singapore hangs 4th person in three weeks GLOBALNATION Starbucks coffee and a glimpse of a North Korean mountain villageThe 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.
US-China relations have been roiled for years over major disagreements between the world’s two largest economies on trade, human rights, the production of fentanyl precursors, security issues that include espionage and hacking, China’s aggressiveness toward Taiwan and its smaller neighbors in the South China Sea, and Beijing’s support for Russia’s military-industrial sector.
Article continues after this advertisementThe 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.
Article continues after this advertisementTrump 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.
Article continues after this advertisementStill, 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 traveling 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.
Article continues after this advertisementThe new alert removes that wording but retains a warning that the Chinese government “arbitrarily enforces local laws, including exit bans on US citizens and citizens of other countries, without fair and transparent process under the law.”
The Biden administration had raised the cases of the detained Americans with China in multiple meetings over the past several years, including this month when Biden spoke to Xi on during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru.
Politico was first to report the men’s release, which it said was part of a prisoner swap with the U.S. The White House did not immediately confirm that any Chinese citizens in American custody had been returned home.
Senators from both political parties praised the move. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said he was “overjoyed”—Swidan’s mother lives in Texas—and credited senior Biden administration officials for having “worked tirelessly to secure this achievement.”
Li, a Chinese immigrant who started an export business in the US and lived in New York, was detained in September 2016 after flying into Shanghai. He was placed under surveillance, interrogated without a lawyer and accused of providing state secrets to the FBI. A UN working group called his 10-year prison sentence arbitrary and his family has said the charges were politically motivated.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who said he had worked for years to try to secure Li’s release, welcomed the news.
“Even when it felt like there was no hope, we never stopped believing that one day Mr. Li would return home,” Schumer said in a statement.
Leung was sentenced last year to life in prison on spying charges. He was detained in 2021, by the local bureau of China’s counterintelligence agency in the southeastern city of Suzhou after China had closed its borders and imposed tight domestic travel restrictions and social controls to fight the spread of COVID-19.
After Leung’s sentencing, the US recommended—though without citing specific cases—that Americans reconsider traveling to China because of arbitrary law enforcement and exit bans and the risk of wrongful detentions.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
Swidan had been jailed for the last 12 years on a drug charge andaratbet, along with Li and Leung, was considered by the State Department to be wrongfully detained.
READ NEXT Ohio gov signs bill limiting bathroom use by transgender students South Korean puts on 20 kg in a bid to avoid draft EDITORS' PICK PhilHealth to cover basic oral healthcare services Mass deportations: LA reaffirms support for undocumented immigrants Manila Water to customers: Include septic tank desludging in holiday checklist Marcos says he ordered impeachment moves vs VP Sara Duterte stopped PBA: Standhardinger rights can stay with Terrafirma despite retirement VP Sara Duterte amid political heat: ‘We will not break’ MOST READ Comelec junks plea of 18 nuisance bets, one of them to seek SC's help South Korea scrambles jets as Chinese, Russian warplanes approach BIZ BUZZ: Power couple’s Polo Club bid foiled Taguba says he never changed tune on Paolo Duterte Follow @FMangosingINQ on Twitter --> View comments