Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung have been released from detention, a spokesperson for the National Security Council said.

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 two Chinese detainees.

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

The U.S. downgraded its travel advisory for China to Level 2 following a prisoner exchange, impacting travel recommendations for citizens.

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.

By Simon Lewis, Trevor Hunnicutt and Colleen Howe WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) -China and the U.S. have each released three citizens both governments said were wrongfully detained in the other country,

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 US nationals were swapped for four people, including three Chinese citizens who were returned to China. View on euronews

Americans Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung are en route back to the United States from imprisonment in China, the White House said.