Three Americans freed in U.S.-China prisoner swap

Mr Li, a businessman, was detained in 2016 while visiting family in Shanghai.

Rejoice Okechukwu • November 27, 2024

Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S President Joe Biden [Credit; Al Jazeera]

Three American men John Leung, Kai Li, and Mark Swidan are on their way home following a prisoner swap between the United States and China.

The agreement, brokered by the Biden administration, concluded years of imprisonment for the men and marked a rare resolution amid tense relations between the two countries.

According to the New York Times, Sean Savett, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, confirmed the release early Wednesday, saying, “Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years.”

Each of the three Americans endured years of detainment under varying circumstances.

Mr Leung, a dual U.S.-Hong Kong citizen, led a complex double life.

While publicly supporting pro-Beijing policies, including China’s claim to Taiwan, he also worked as an informant for the FBI.

Despite warnings from his FBI handlers to avoid travel to China, he visited in 2021, where he was arrested and later sentenced to life in prison for espionage.

His imprisonment marked the first such sentence against an American in China.

Mr Li, a businessman, was detained in 2016 while visiting family in Shanghai.

Convicted on charges of espionage that his family and advocates maintained were baseless, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

A Texas-based businessman, Mark Swidan, endured the harshest conditions.

Detained in 2012 on drug-related charges, Swidan was sentenced to death in 2019 despite a lack of physical evidence tying him to the crime.

International human rights organisations, including the United Nations, condemned his detention as arbitrary and unjust.

The prisoner swap involved months of high-stakes negotiations and the release of at least one Chinese national detained in the U.S.

The New York Times reported that discussions were reportedly centred on Xu Yanjun, a Chinese intelligence officer imprisoned in the United States since 2021.

Mr Yanjun was convicted of attempting to steal trade secrets from U.S. aviation companies, making him a high-profile figure in Sino-American relations.

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