The three Americans have been freed as part of a high-stakes prisoner exchange between the United States and China.
As per BBC, a spokesperson for the National Security Council (NSC) said in a statement on Wednesday, that Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung will sent back to the US after the Biden administration negotiated a prisoner swap.
"Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years," the statement said.
The exchange of prisoners was planned and negotiated over several months.
As per the report, it involved the United States releasing at least one Chinese citizen who was being held in its custody, in return for China releasing three Americans.
Earlier this month, President Biden highlighted the issue of Americans wrongfully put in custody in China directly with President Xi Jinping.
As per the American officials who are well versed on this issue revealed that both leaders met during the APEC summit in Peru,
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also requested the return of prisoners when he visited China in August.
"Thanks to this Administration’s efforts and diplomacy with the PRC, all of the wrongfully detained Americans in the PRC are home," the NSC spokesperson said.
To note, Swidan, 48, was in custody since 2012 and was facing the death penalty after a conviction for narcotics trafficking.
Meanwhile, Mark Li, 60, has been detained in China since September 2016.
John Leung, 78, was behind bars in 2021 and sentenced to life in prison on espionage charges two years later.
