Three American citizens who had been detained for years in China were released, a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday.

Three American citizens imprisoned for years by China have been released. That word comes Wednesday from the White House and it's a rare diplomatic agreement with Beijing in the final months of the Biden administration.

The State Department announced the release of Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung. A U.S. government official told NBC News the three were exchanged for Chinese detainees.

Three Americans who had been detained in China for years have been released in a prisoner swap between Washington and Beijing.

Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung landed on a military base Wednesday night in San Antonio, Texas. All of them had been designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained by China. Officials and humanitarian aid groups said the three Americans were arrested on arbitrary and unlawful charges.

The State Department downgraded its travel advisory for China on Wednesday after the release of three U.S. citizens who had been held in the country for years.

Three Americans who the State Department said were wrongfully detained in China for years are back on U.S. soil as part of a prisoner swap, a senior U.S. official with knowledge of the deal told ABC News.

Three American citizens who had been imprisoned in China for years were released and are on their way back to the United States, the White House announced Wednesday. The development marks a significant diplomatic achievement in the final months of President Joe Biden 's administration.