Three Americans jailed in China for years released, White House says

China has freed three Americans considered wrongfully detained in a swap with the United States, US officials said Wednesday, meeting a key goal of outgoing President Joe Biden's administration.

The three Americans -- Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung -- were the last prisoners in China classified by the State Department as wrongfully detained, although activists and families have raised the cases of other US citizens.

"Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years," a State Department spokesperson said on the eve of Thanksgiving, the American holiday associated with family reunions.