China releases three US citizens after years of diplomacy
US says Americans were wrongfully detained by China
Biden raised cases with Xi in Peru this month
Travel advisory for China raised to Level 2 after release
Updates throughout, adds new travel advisory
By Simon Lewis and Trevor Hunnicutt
WASHINGTON, Nov 27 (Reuters) -China has released U.S. citizens Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung, the White House said on Wednesday, concluding years of diplomacy over Americans that Washington says were wrongfully detained in China.
The Biden administration also on Wednesday upgraded its travel advisory for China, a move long sought by Beijing that U.S. officials have tied to the detention of American nationals by China.
The National Security Council said in a statement the three men's release meant all Americans it deemed wrongfully detained in China had now been released.
"Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years," it said.
China's embassy in Washington declined to comment. Beijing says such cases are handled according to law.
Politico, which first reported the release, said a number of Chinese citizens detained in the United States would also be released.
Texas-based businessman Mark Swidan was imprisoned for 12 years in China on drug-related charges and in 2019 was given a death sentence with reprieve, despite a lack of evidence.
Chinese-American Kai Li was detained in China since 2016 on espionage charges he denied, and John Leung was sentenced to life in 2023 and accused of being an American spy.
Senior U.S. officials had raised the detainees in talks with Chinese counterparts over years, but families feared their cases were overshadowed by other considerations in the complex and fraught U.S.-China relationship.
A U.S. official said President Joe Biden had pressed for the return of the three when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping this month at a regional summit in Peru.
Biden and Xi have worked to lower tensions in recent months by holding phone calls and meetings aimed at identifying areas they can work together while still managing national security risks.
In September, China freed U.S. pastor David Lin, who had been in jail since 2006 and was also considered wrongfully detained. U.S. officials declined to confirm reports at the time that a Chinese national was released in exchange for Lin.
Biden's successor, Donald Trump, has signaled a more hawkish approach, including proposing vast new tariffs on goods from China.
TRAVEL ADVISORY
Biden, whose four-year term ends on Jan. 20, has secured the release of more than 70 Americans detained overseas, in some cases swapping them for prisoners in the United States.
In 2022, China was one of six countries the State Department slapped with a "D" warning to its travel advisory to indicate the risk of U.S. citizens being detained and used as bargaining chips.
U.S. officials said they told Chinese officials that the detention of American citizens had to be addressed before the travel advisory would be changed.
On Wednesday, that warning was removed and the U.S. advice to travelers to mainland China changed from Level 3, "reconsider travel," to Level 2, "exercise increased caution," although the advisory still warned that U.S. citizens in China "may be subjected to interrogations and detention without fair and transparent treatment under the law."
Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Simon Lewis; additional reporting by Michael Martina; Writing by Susan Heavey, David Ljunggren and Simon Lewis; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Timothy Heritage and Jonathan Oatis
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
