China released three Americans as part of an agreement between the Biden administration and the Chinese government, US officials said on Wednesday, marking a rare moment of detente between the rival nations. 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 representative said on the eve of Thanksgiving, the American holiday associated with family reunions. “Thanks to this administration's efforts and diplomacy with the PRC, all of the wrongfully detained Americans in the PRC are home,” the representative said, referring to the People's Republic of China.
A statement from the National Security Council said the three Americans would be reunited with their families “for the first time in many years”. Politico, which first reported the news, said the prisoners had been released in a swap but the NSC did not mention who the US might have released. Bloomberg and AFP cited anonymous sources saying an unspecified number of Chinese prisoners had been freed by the US.
Mr Swidan was detained on drug charges in late 2012 on a business trip to China. His family and supporters say there was never any evidence he had drugs and that his driver and translator had blamed him. The other two released prisoners had been convicted of espionage. The outgoing Biden administration has now secured the release of more than 70 unjustly detained Americans around the world, officials said.
US-China relations have been on tricky ground for years over major disagreements between the world’s two largest economies. The release of Americans deemed wrongfully detained in China has been a top agenda item in each conversation between the US and China, and Wednesday’s development suggests a willingness by Beijing to engage with the outgoing Democratic administration before Republican president-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Brief scores:
Pakistan (1st innings) 181: Babar 71; Olivier 6-37
South Africa (1st innings) 223: Bavuma 53; Amir 4-62
Pakistan (2nd innings) 190: Masood 65, Imam 57; Olivier 5-59
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
The Bio
Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959
Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.
He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses
Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas
His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s
Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business
He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery
Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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