The plight of Americans facing exit bans in China show 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.

The trio of Americans held by Beijing were detained on drug and espionage charges, but Washington argued they were wrongfully imprisoned. No details were released on the Chinese nationals being freed.

China released three Americans as part of a prisoner swap between the Biden administration and the Chinese government, according to a person familiar with the matter, a rare moment of cooperation between the adversaries.

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,

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.