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 Americans were freed in exchange for a Chinese intelligence officer who was serving a 20-year sentence in the United States, officials said.

Three Americans who had been detained in China for years have been released in a prisoner swap between Washington and Beijing. “We are pleased to announce the release of Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung from detention in the People’s Republic of China,