3 Americans Detained by China Freed in Swap

Three Americans detained for years in China are coming home. Washington and Beijing agreed on a prisoner swap made public Wednesday, reports the Washington Post and the AP. The freed Americans—all of whom were considered to be wrongfully detained in the eyes of the US—are:

• Mark Swidan: The businessman formerly based in Texas was arrested in 2012 and accused of drug offenses. Swidan, who has always denied the charges, was facing the death penalty.
• Kai Li: He was detained in 2016 and sentenced to 10 years on espionage charges. Li is a naturalized US citizen who was born in China. He has said the charges against him were politically motivated.
• John Leung: He was detained in 2021 and received a life sentence last year on espionage charges. The AP notes he was arrested in the eastern city of Suzhou amid tight travel restrictions to fight the spread of COVID.

"Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years," the White House said in a statement, per the Post. The US didn't immediately say who it had freed in exchange for the Americans. (More US-China relations stories.)