An American pastor whom the U.S. government considered to be wrongfully detained in China was released over the weekend, according to the State Department.

David Lin, 68, was detained in China in 2006, and in 2009, he was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of contract fraud. After several reductions, Lin was scheduled for release in December 2029 prior to his release over the weekend.

“We welcome David Lin’s release from prison in the People’s Republic of China. He has returned to the United States and reunited with his family for the first time in nearly 20 years,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. “It’s something that we have been working on for some time.”

Miller declined to say whether the United States swapped any prisoners to secure Lin’s release.

He added that the U.S. will continue to pursue the release of businessmen Kai Li and Mark Swidan, the two other Americans believed to be considered wrongfully detained in China, on espionage and drug-related charges, respectively.

The Bring Our Families Home campaign, an advocacy organization dedicated to aiding the families of Americans detained abroad, said it is “elated that its longest held constituent, David Lin, was released,” though the group urged President Joe Biden “to back this up by acting quickly and decisively to build on the momentum of David’s release to free Kai and Mark.”

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U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan visited Beijing in late August, nearly three weeks before Lin’s release, and he met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

“I am extremely glad to hear David Lin was freed from his 17 year-long wrongful imprisonment by the CCP. His capture, like so many others, marks a rising trend of hostage diplomacy by authoritarians around the world,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) said in a statement. “However, Kai Li and Texan Mark Swidan still remain CCP prisoners — and must be freed now.”