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.

China announced Thursday that the U.S. had returned four people to China, including three citizens it said had been held for “political purposes.”

Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung have been released from detention, a spokesperson for the National Security Council said.

The State Department downgraded its travel advisory for China on Wednesday after the release of three U.S. citizens who had been held in the country for years.

Three American citizens imprisoned for years by China have been released and are returning to the United States, the White House said Wednesday, announcing a rare diplomatic agreement with Beijing in the final months of the Biden administration.

Americans Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung are en route back to the United States from imprisonment in China, the White House said.

Three Americans including two Chinese Americans are back on U.S. soil after being released by China in a prisoner swap. ABC News reports the three returned to warm embraces from family members overnight at Joint Base San Antonio.

Three Americans who the State Department said were wrongfully detained in China for years are on their way back to the U.S. as part of a prisoner swap, a senior U.S. official with knowledge of the deal told ABC News.