China releases 3 ‘wrongfully detained’ Americans, White House says

China is releasing three Americans Wednesday who have been “wrongfully detained,” Fox News has confirmed.

“We are pleased to announce the release of Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung from detention in the People’s Republic of China,” a National Security Council spokesperson said. “Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years. Thanks to this Administration’s efforts and diplomacy with the PRC, all of the wrongfully detained Americans in the PRC are home.”

Mark Swidan of Texas was 38-years old when he went to China on business looking for flooring for construction work in November 2012. He was arrested after his driver and translator were allegedly found with drugs, the Texas Tribune has reported. 

A United Nations report determined that Swidan was not in possession of drugs on his person or in his hotel room, and records show he was not in China at the time of the alleged offense. 

The U.N. report said that the 11 other people arrested with Swidan as part of the alleged trafficking ring were unable to identify him and that the conviction was based on his visiting a factory that had once been used to manufacture methamphetamine. 

Harrison Li, the son of Kai Li, told Fox News around a year ago that his father was detained in China while traveling there for a memorial service for his own mother.

“He was not allowed to get off the plane. As soon as he landed at Shanghai Pudong Airport, agents from the Ministry of State Security whisked him away and nobody has been able to see him outside of the prison ever since,” Li said.

A website set up to raise awareness for Li said he had been held in China “since September 2016 on politically motivated charges of espionage and stealing state secrets. 

“He is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence at Shanghai’s Qingpu Prison,” it added.

Leung, who has permanent residency in Hong Kong, also was sentenced on espionage charges in 2023, according to the BBC.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Fox News’ Kate Sprague and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.