3 Americans held for years in China have been released: White House

Three American citizens imprisoned for years by China have been released and are returning to the United States, the White House said Wednesday, announcing a rare diplomatic agreement with Beijing in the final months of the Biden administration.

The three are Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung, all of whom had been designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained. Swidan had been facing a death sentence on drug charges while Li and Leung were imprisoned on espionage charges.

"Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years," the White House said in a statement.

A U.S. official said the Biden administration had raised their cases with China in multiple meetings over the last several years, including earlier this month when President Joe Biden spoke to Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru.

Politico was first to report the men's release.