EXCHANGE DEAL: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote that he was glad ‘they were in good health and that they’ll soon be reunited with their loved ones’
AFP, BEIJING
Beijing yesterday said that three of its nationals “wrongfully imprisoned” in the US had returned to China, after US officials said they had negotiated the return of three Americans incarcerated there.
Washington on Wednesday said that it had secured the return of the last prisoners in China classified by the US Department of State as wrongfully detained.
A source close to the matter said the arrangement was part of a swap deal with Beijing for three Chinese nationals in US custody who were not identified.
Harrison Li holds a photo of his father, Kai Li, as he poses for a photo, Jan. 23, 2024, in Palo Alto, Calif.
Photo: AP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had spoken to the three Americans — Mark Swidan, Li Kai (李凱) and John Leung (梁成運) — “as they traveled home to the United States just in time for Thanksgiving,” an American holiday associated with family reunions.
“I told them how glad I was that they were in good health and that they’ll soon be reunited with their loved ones,” Blinken wrote on X.
Swidan was detained on drug charges in late 2012 during a business trip to China.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends an event at the Vatican on Wednesday.
Photo: Reuters
His family and supporters say there was never any evidence he had drugs, and that his driver and translator had blamed him.
Li, a naturalized American born in Shanghai who ran a business exporting aircraft technology, was detained in 2016 and convicted of espionage for allegedly sending state secrets to US authorities.
He said he was sharing information as part of routine compliance with US export rules.
Leung, a US citizen in his late 70s with permanent residency in Hong Kong, was also convicted of espionage.
China said little about his case when he was first detained in 2021, but later accused him of spying on Chinese officials on behalf of the US.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the return of three nationals from the US, without giving further details.
“Following unremitting efforts by the Chinese government, three Chinese nationals wrongfully imprisoned by the American side have now safely returned to the motherland,” ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning (毛寧) told a regular news conference in Beijing. “This shows once again that China will never abandon its compatriots at any time, and that the motherland is always there as a strong backup force for them.”
Beijing “consistently opposes the American side carrying out the suppression and persecution of Chinese nationals out of political aims, and will continue as ever to take necessary measures” to uphold their legal interests, she said.
The swap had also included the extradition back to China of a “fugitive who had absconded from justice for several years,” Mao said.
“This shows that nobody can escape from the long arm of the law, and that no place can become a permanent haven for criminals on the run,” she said.
