The U.S. Department of State has downgraded its travel advisory for China to Level 2 immediately after a prisoner exchange with China.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of State announced on its website that the travel advisory for China (mainland) for U.S. citizens had been lowered from Level 3, Reconsider Travel, to Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution. The highest level in the travel advisory system is Level 4, Do Not Travel, while the lowest is Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions.
The Department of State had previously advised U.S. citizens traveling to China to reconsider their plans due to the risks of arbitrary enforcement of local laws, exit bans, and unjust detentions.
The U.S. political news outlet Politico reported that a State Department spokesperson said the U.S.-China prisoner exchange carried out that day was one factor influencing the downgrade of China’s travel advisory.
Under the U.S.-China prisoner exchange agreement, three American citizens previously detained in China—John Leung and Kai Li (charged with espionage) and Mark Swidan (accused of drug-related offenses)—were released from Chinese detention facilities on the same day.
John Leung was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2023. Kai Li was detained upon his arrival in Shanghai in 2016 and sentenced to 10 years. Mark Swidan, who had been arrested for 12 years, was sentenced to death in 2019, but the sentence was suspended, according to Reuters and other sources.
Politico reported that the three individuals arrived in the U.S. the same day and were taken to Brooke Army Medical Center outside San Antonio, Texas, where they will undergo psychological evaluations and receive training to readjust to American society.
Details about the Chinese nationals released by the United States in the exchange have not been disclosed.
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