US, China Exchange Detainees in Rare Diplomatic Breakthrough
The United States and China have engaged in a prisoner exchange, resulting in the release of three American citizens held in China for years, The Associated Press reports.
The White House announced Wednesday that Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung have been released and are returning to the US.
The Chinese government confirmed the exchange on Thursday, saying that the US had returned four individuals to China, including at least three Chinese citizens who were allegedly held in the US for “political purposes,” and a fugitive sought by Beijing for crimes committed in China. The identities of the four individuals returned to China were not publicly disclosed.
Swidan, Li, and Leung had been designated by the US government as wrongfully detained. Swidan, facing a death sentence on drug charges, had been imprisoned for twelve years. Li, a Chinese immigrant living in New York, was arrested in Shanghai in 2016 on accusations of providing state secrets to the FBI — charges his family and a UN working group deemed politically motivated and arbitrary. Leung received a life sentence last year on espionage charges following his detention in 2021. The release follows the recent freeing of David Lin, a Californian pastor imprisoned for nearly 20 years on contract fraud charges.
The exchange comes at a time of heightened tensions between the US and China, marked by disagreements on trade, human rights, fentanyl production, security issues (including espionage and hacking), Taiwan, the South China Sea, and Beijing’s support for Russia. The release of wrongfully detained Americans has been a consistent point of negotiation between the two countries. This development, occurring in the final months of the Biden administration, suggests a willingness from Beijing to engage before the incoming Trump administration, whose previously announced hardline stance on China has raised concerns about potential economic and military escalation.
The State Department concurrently lowered its travel advisory for China from Level 3 (“Reconsider Travel”) to Level 2 (“Exercise Increased Caution”), removing the specific warning about wrongful detention of Americans, though maintaining cautions regarding arbitrary law enforcement and exit bans.
Bipartisan support for the Americans’ release emerged swiftly in the US Senate. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), whose statement reflected his “overjoyed” reaction, credited the Biden administration’s efforts in securing Swidan’s release. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) also welcomed the news, highlighting his years-long advocacy for Li’s release.
