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Three Americans held in China for many years are released

2024-11-27 17:03:28, Kosova & Bota CNA

The White House announced Wednesday that three American citizens held in prison by China for many years have been released.

In an announcement of a rare diplomatic deal with Beijing in the final months of President Joe Biden's administration, the White House said the three Americans were on their way to the US.

They are Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung, who the US government has said were wrongfully imprisoned.

Swidan faced the death penalty on drug charges, while Li and Leung were jailed on espionage charges.

"They will return soon and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years," the White House said in a statement.

The announcement comes at a time of uncertainty in US-China relations, which have been volatile during the tenure of Democratic President Joe Biden. But with Republican Donald Trump back in the White House in January, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has signaled his concern that the incoming president's promises to impose tariffs on Chinese goods could hamper ties between the two economic powers.

A US official said the Biden administration had raised the issue of detained Americans during numerous meetings with China in the past several years, including earlier this month when Biden spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the annual Cooperation Summit. Economy in Peru.

Politico was the first to report on their release, saying the release was part of a prisoner swap deal with the US. The White House did not confirm this.

Li, a Chinese immigrant who started an export business in the US, was arrested in September 2016 after traveling to Shanghai. He was surveilled, interviewed without a defense attorney present, and accused of passing state secrets to the FBI. A UN working group called his 10-year prison sentence arbitrary and his family said the charges were politically motivated.

Leung was sentenced last year to life in prison for espionage. He was arrested in 2021 in Suzhou City.

Swidan was sentenced to 12 years in prison for drug charges./ REL