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Three American citizens in prison for years China are released and return to United Statesthe White House said Wednesday, announcing a diplomatic deal with Beijing in the final months of the Biden administration.
The three are Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung, all of whom have been designated by the US government as being unjustly detained by China. Swidan was facing the death penalty on drug charges, while Li and Leung were jailed on espionage charges.
“They will soon return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years,” the White House said in a statement.
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The release comes just two months after China freed David Lin, a Christian pastor from California who spent nearly 20 years behind bars after being convicted of contract fraud.
US-China relations have been strained for years by major disagreements between the world’s two largest economies over trade, human rights, fentanyl precursor production, security issues including espionage and hacking, Chinese aggression towards Taiwan and its smaller neighbors in the South China Sea, and Beijing’s military support – the industrial sector of Russia.
The release of Americans believed to be unjustly detained in China has been a major agenda item in any talks between the US and China, and Wednesday’s developments suggest Beijing’s willingness to work with the outgoing Democratic administration ahead of Republican President Donald Trump’s return to the White House. House in January.
Trump has taken significant actions against China in trade and diplomacy during his first term. He has vowed to continue the policy in his second term, causing unease among many who fear an all-out trade war would greatly affect the international economy and could trigger potential Chinese military action against Taiwan.
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Nevertheless, the two countries held a dialogue that included a partial restoration of military contacts. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met earlier this month to discuss possible improvements.
A U.S. official said the Biden administration has raised the cases of detained Americans with China in multiple meetings over the past few years, including earlier this month when Biden spoke with Xi on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru.
Politico first reported the men’s release, which it said was part of a prisoner swap with the US. The White House did not immediately confirm that any Chinese nationals had been repatriated.
Li, a Chinese immigrant who started an export business in the US, was detained in September 2016 after flying to Shanghai. He was placed under surveillance, interrogated without a lawyer and accused of leaking state secrets to the FBI.
A UN task force called his 10-year prison sentence arbitrary, and his family said the charges were politically motivated.
Leung was sentenced to life in prison last year on espionage charges. The local office of China’s counterintelligence agency arrested him in 2021 in the southeastern city of Suzhou after China closed its borders and imposed strict domestic travel restrictions and social controls to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Swidan had been in prison for 12 years on drug charges and, along with Li and Leung, was considered by the State Department to be wrongfully detained.
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