UPDATE - 3 Americans released in US-China prisoner swap

ADDS STATE DEPARTMENT STATEMENT, BACKGROUND

​​​​​​​By Rabia Iclal Turan and Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - Three Americans who had been detained in China for years were released Wednesday in a prisoner swap between Washington and Beijing, according to a State Department spokesperson.

"We are pleased to announce the release of Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung from detention in the People’s Republic of China," the spokesperson said in a statement to Anadolu. "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 (People's Republican of China), all of the wrongfully detained Americans in the PRC are home," it added.

The Americans are now in US custody and were freed in exchange for unidentified Chinese nationals, CNN reported, citing a US official.

Li and Swidan had been designated "wrongfully detained" by the US State Department. Lin, another "wrongfully detained" American, was freed in September.

The release follows years of behind-the-scenes negotiations by the US, with President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan actively engaging with their Chinese counterparts.

The outgoing Biden administration has now successfully secured the release of more than 70 Americans detained worldwide, including Afghanistan, Burma, Gaza, Haiti, Iran, Russia, Rwanda and Venezuela, according to officials.

China has yet to publicly comment on the reports.