President Joe Biden granted clemency to three Chinese nationals last month as a part of an agreement to secure the release of three Americans wrongfully held by Beijing, according to a National Security Council spokesperson.

The United States announced on Nov. 27 that it had secured the release of Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung from Beijing, but officials did not specify at the time what the U.S. gave up in exchange for them. Swidan had been behind bars in China since 2012 on drug trafficking allegations he vehemently rejects. Li had been held since September 2016 and Leung was arrested in 2021 and sentenced to life in prison for espionage.