Lawmaker Warns of Rising Trend of ‘Hostage Diplomacy’ After China Releases US Citizen

The top Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee said “hostage diplomacy” is on the rise, a day after the Chinese regime released an American citizen and pastor who had been detained for nearly 20 years.
“His capture, like so many others, marks a rising trend of hostage diplomacy by authoritarians around the world. However, Kai Li and Texan Mark Swidan still remain CCP prisoners—and must be freed now.”
“The CCP’s hostage diplomacy is the behavior of a rogue state, not a global leader.” he said.
Swidan, a Texas businessman who has been wrongfully detained in China since 2012, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in 2019 after being charged with alleged drug-related crimes, according to the State Department.
“Anyone may be a target—human rights defenders, businesspeople, officials, and foreigners,” the report reads.