


The Biden administration has come to an agreement with the Chinese government to secure the release of three Americans whom the State Department had determined to be “wrongfully detained.”
The three Americans who were released were Mark Swidan, who had been held in China on disputed drug charges for more than 10 years; Kai Li, who has been held since 2016 on disputed espionage charges; and John Leung, who was detained in 2021 and sentenced in 2023 to life in prison on spying charges.
“We are pleased to announce the release of Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung from detention in the People’s Republic of China,” a National Security Council spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. “Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years. Thanks to this Administration’s efforts and diplomacy with the PRC, all of the wrongfully detained Americans in the PRC are home.”

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The administration has repeatedly brought up the three Americans in their engagements with their Chinese counterparts.
President Joe Biden discussed their cases with Chinese President Xi Jinping when they met in Peru on the sidelines of APEC, national security adviser, Jake Sullivan brought it up during his visit to China in August, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken brought them up when he met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the United Nations General Assembly in September, according to a U.S. official.