Three imprisoned Americans have been released after years of detention in China, the White House said Wednesday.
Mark Swidden, Kai Li and John Leung have been released, a National Security Council spokesman said, and they will soon “return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years.”
The Biden administration has repeatedly raised the issue of wrongfully detained Americans with Chinese authorities. spoke to president biden Chinese President Xi Jinping about the issue on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru in early November.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken And National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan Spoke with Foreign Minister Wang Yi about the release of wrongfully detained Americans during several meetings in recent months.
A National Security Council spokesperson said, “Thanks to this Administration's efforts and diplomacy with the PRC, all Americans wrongfully detained in the PRC are home.”
Sweden, a 48-year-old Texas businessman, was given the death penalty in China. He was behind bars since 2012 after being accused of drug trafficking. Sweden has denied the allegations, which the US says are false allegations. state Department He has been classified as being wrongfully detained, and concerns have previously been raised about his health. His family said earlier this year that they were afraid of Sweden can take one's life While detained.
Li, 60, has been held in a Chinese prison since September 2016. He had a stroke in jail, According to John CammExecutive director of the Dui Hua Foundation, a human rights group that pushes for the release of people detained in China.
Jeff Chiu/AP
Leung, 78, was arrested in 2021 sentenced to life imprisonment For espionage in May 2023. Few details have been shared about the case.
In a statement addressing Lee's release, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer credited Mr Biden's “personal engagement with President Xi” for securing the release of the three men.
“For the families of those Americans recently freed by the Chinese government, there is much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving,” Schumer said.
david lynnA 68-year-old American pastor, who was jailed for 18 years on fraud charges, was released by China in September.