Three Americans arrive in Texas following prisoner swap with China

Three American citizens jailed for years successful China arrived successful the United States precocious Wednesday arsenic portion of a captive swap betwixt Washington and Beijing.

The swap, which the White House announced earlier Wednesday, marked a uncommon diplomatic statement betwixt the United States and China arsenic U.S. President Joe Biden’s tenure comes to a close.

Beijing announced Thursday that the United States has returned 4 radical to China, including astatine slightest 3 Chinese citizens whom Beijing said were held for “political purposes.” The 4th was an idiosyncratic sought by Beijing for crimes who had been surviving successful the United States.

The Chinese authorities did not place the 4 people.

The 3 Americans released successful the swap — Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung — landed Wednesday nighttime astatine a subject basal successful San Antonio, Texas.

Biden told reporters Thursday greeting that helium has spoken to each of them.
“I’m truly blessed they are home,” helium said.

All 3 Americans had been designated arsenic wrongfully detained. Swidan was facing a decease condemnation connected cause charges, and Li and Leung were jailed connected espionage charges.

In a abstracted but connected move, the State Department Wednesday lowered its question informing to China to “level two” from “level three,” present advising American citizens to “exercise accrued caution” erstwhile traveling to China.

Previously, the State Department advised Americans to “reconsider travel” to China, partially owed to the hazard of wrongful detention of Americans.

The captive swap comes 2 months aft China released David Lin, a Christian pastor from California who had spent astir 20 years jailed successful China aft being convicted of declaration fraud.

And successful August, the United States engaged successful a abstracted historical captive swap.

That one, betwixt the United States and Russia, included the merchandise of American journalists Alsu Kurmasheva and Evan Gershkovich, arsenic good arsenic ex-U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and U.S. imperishable nonmigratory and Russian absorption person Vladimir Kara-Murza.

Some accusation successful this study came from the Associated Press and Reuters.