US and China conduct prisoner exchange - Politico
Illustrative photo: The United States and China conducted a prisoner exchange (Getty Images)
The United States and China conducted a prisoner exchange. It took place in a three-on-three format, Politico reports.
According to Politico, China released Americans Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung in exchange for three unknown Chinese citizens. A senior official stated that the exchange was the result of years of "intensive talks" between officials from the White House, the State Department, and their Chinese counterparts.
The media outlet reports that the Americans will return to the United States within a few hours.
The media also suggests that this exchange offers hope that China may be willing to continue negotiations for the release of other US citizens.
Whom did China release
In the fall of 2012, Chinese police arrested American Mark Swidan, accusing him of manufacturing and trafficking drugs. In 2020, a court sentenced Swidan to death, with a two-year reprieve.
In September 2016, Shanghai police detained Kai Li. Two years later, he was sentenced to ten years in prison on charges of espionage for the FBI. The UN later recognized Kai Li as a victim of arbitrary detention and described his imprisonment as "political, not criminal."
Last year, a Chinese court sentenced John Leung to life imprisonment on charges of espionage. Beijing stated that the American had been working for US intelligence agencies since 1989.
We reported that Russia released a WSJ journalist and a convicted US Marine as part of a prisoner exchange.
Additionally, RBC-Ukraine's report offers more details on the case of German citizen Rico Krieger and how he managed to secure a pardon.
