(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Three Americans who were imprisoned in China were reportedly released Wednesday as part of a prisoner swap the country’s government conducted with the Biden administration.
The three freed prisoners are John Leung, Kai Li and Mark Swidan, all whom were flying back to the U.S. on Wednesday. According to the New York Times, Leung is an FBI informant.
“Leung was outwardly pro-Beijing. He backed the country’s claim to Taiwan, organized groups that promoted American ties with China and frequently appeared with Chinese consular officials in Houston. He had also provided information to the FBI for years,” the Times reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources.
According to the Times, Lueng’s FBI handlers told him not to visit China. Lueng did so anyways in 2021, and was imprisoned.
“For over two years, his friends and family heard nothing. In 2023, a court in the city of Suzhou sentenced him to life in prison, a first for an American charged with espionage in China,” the Times reported Wednesday.
The Biden administration’s prisoner swap has reportedly been in the works for months. It entails the U.S. releasing at least one Chinese prisoner. A State Department official confirmed the names of the Americans being released, but would not give further details, the Times reported.
The Chinese prisoner in the U.S. is rumored to be CCP intelligence officer Xu Yanjun, who was was convicted of espionage by a federal jury in Cincinnati in November 2021. Xu allegedly targeted American aviation companies, recruited employees to travel to China, and solicited their proprietary information—all on behalf of China.
The Times quoted John Kamm, the founder of the San Francisco rights group Dui Hua Foundation, who said the prisoner swap may be an overture to the incoming Trump administration.
“It suggests to me that they not only want to give a parting gift to Joe Biden, but they are signaling to Donald Trump the possibility of making important concessions,” he reportedly said.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
