China releases three Americans from lockup

Update, 11:45 a.m.:

Who are these detainees?

• Kai Li, 60, has been wrongfully detained in China since 2016, according to the group Bring Our Families Home, which advocates for Americans wrongfully detained overseas. Authorities arrested him immediately after he stepped off a plane in Shanghai to attend a memorial for the one-year anniversary of his mother’s death. Before his release, the group said he was serving a 10-year sentence on false espionage and stealing state secrets charges.

• Mark Swidan was looking for furniture, flooring, and fixtures for a home he was building in Houston, the group said. After finding what he wanted at various warehouses, he phoned his mother asking for $80 cash so he would have money to buy food during his travels home. His mother heard a commotion on the phone which turned out to be Chinese police arresting him. He was engaged to be married at the time of his arrest.

• John Leung was sentenced to life in prison in May 2023. The State Department acknowledged his sentence and said at the time it was working to obtain his safety and security.

Initial post, 10:45 a.m.:

A U.S. State Department spokesperson on Wednesday morning confirmed to WORLD that three U.S. citizens unlawfully detained in China would soon be coming home. The Chinese government agreed to release Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung. They would be returning home to their families for the first time in years, the spokesperson said.

How many more Americans are still detained in China? Due to the Biden administration’s efforts, all Americans who were unlawfully detained in China are now free, according to the State Department. The release of the three Americans follows President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to impose a 10% tariff on all goods imported from China over its alleged involvement in trafficking fentanyl into the United States.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift explaining the details of Trump’s tariff threats against China, and similar threats against Canada and Mexico.