3 Americans detained for years in China have been released and back in U.S.
Three Americans have been released after spending years imprisoned in China, the White House said Wednesday. Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung were released and would soon "return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years," a spokesperson for the National Security Council said.
The Americans released by Beijing are Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung, all of whom had been designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained by China. A plane carrying the three men from China landed late Wednesday night at a military base in San Antonio, Texas.
In a statement Thursday, China's foreign ministry said three Chinese citizens "who were wrongly detained by the United States" were released and returned to China. The ministry also said a fugitive who had been sought by Beijing for crimes and had been living in the United States had been returned to China.
In a social media post Wednesday night, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he'd spoken with the three Americans "as they traveled home to the United States just in time for Thanksgiving. I told them how glad I was that they were in good health and that they'll soon be reunited with their loved ones."
The Biden administration has repeatedly raised the issue of wrongfully detained Americans with Chinese officials. President Biden spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the issue on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru, earlier in November.
Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with Foreign Minister Wang Yi about the release of wrongfully detained Americans during multiple meetings over recent months.
"Thanks to this Administration's efforts and diplomacy with the PRC, all of the wrongfully detained Americans in the PRC are home," the National Security Council spokesperson said.
Swidan, a 48-year-old Texas businessman, was on death row in China. He had been behind bars since 2012 after being charged with narcotics trafficking. Swidan has denied the charges, which the U.S. says are trumped-up. The State Department categorized him as wrongly detained, and has previously raised concerns about his health. His family said earlier this year they feared Swidan might take his own life while detained.
Li, 60, has been held in a Chinese prison since September 2016. He had a stroke in prison, according to John Kamm, executive director of Dui Hua Foundation, a human rights group that pushes for the release of people detained in China.
Leung, 78, was arrested in 2021 and sentenced to life in prison for espionage in May 2023. Few details have been shared about the case.
In a statement addressing Li's release, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer credited Mr. Biden's "personal engagement with President Xi" with securing the release of all three men.
"For the families of those Americans newly freed by the Chinese government, this Thanksgiving there is so much to be thankful for," Schumer said.
David Lin, a 68-year-old American pastor imprisoned on fraud charges for 18 years, was released by China in September.