The plight of Americans facing exit bans in China shows the enduring risks of getting caught in the country’s murky legal system.

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.

The Americans released, among others, a Chinese intelligence officer who was serving a 20-year sentence in the United States.

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

China has released three American prisoners who were being detained for at least three years as part of a prisoner swap that was announced by the White House. NewsNation contributor Kurt Bardella and Lauren Wright,

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

Three Americans were released from China Wednesday following a prisoner exchange between Washington and Beijing. Why it matters: The detainees' release is the culmination of years-long talks between U.

Americans Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung would soon be reunited with their families in the United States after years in prison in China, the White House said.

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 Biden administration recently brokered a prisoner swap with China, resulting in the release of three Americans — Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung — who had been imprisoned in China for years. In exchange,

Three American citizens imprisoned for years by China arrived back in the United States late Wednesday. Their release, announced earlier by the White House, was the result of a rare diplomatic agreement with Beijing in the final months of the Biden administration.