https://apnews.com/article/us-china-americans-detained-released-365258f044ec5a650aaeccf33d817d64
Two weeks ago, on November 27th, three American citizens returned to the United states, as well as four Chinese citizens returned to China as a result of a diplomatic agreement between the two countries. While the Chinese citizens’ identities have not been made public, China has commented that they had been imprisoned for “political purposes”. On the other hand, the American citizens have been identified as Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung, who have been labeled as “wrongfully detained” in China. Swidan had been imprisoned on drug charges and was awaiting the death sentence, while the other two were charged with espionage. After their plane had landed in Texas, Biden commented he was “really happy they were home”.
This is an important event because it helps build on relations between the United States and China, which have been facing tension. Prisoner exchanges are often done in order to improve allyship bilaterally, and I believe it is likely that Biden is trying to improve relations between countries we may not have the best connections with before Trump takes office. Because of Trump’s tariff plan, which will place up to a 25% tax on goods imported from China, it is probable that relations will strain within the next four years. This swap benefits both countries, and would be good to see more of in the future.
The U.S. and China prisoner exchange can be tied to what we have discussed in class relating to international theories, specifically constructivism and liberalism, as both countries are participating in this exchange to improve how their identities are viewed, both domestically and foreign. Countries may be more inclined to act peacefully when a country they are involved with has a diplomatic background.