A former Chinese student in a Chicago college, who was previously convicted of espionage-related charges in the US, is now back in his homeland.
The student, Ji Chaoqun, has been serving an eight-year prison sentence for providing sensitive background information on eight American citizens who are defense contractors to Chinese intelligence officials.
With the recent prisoner exchange deal, China released three Americans who have been held in China for years. While Ji, along with another convicted Chinese spy, Yanjun Xu, was swapped for the Americans in a trade worked out by the White House, according to ABC 7 Chicago.
Chinese Spy from Illinois Tech Swapped in Prisoner Exchange Deal of US and China
In 2013, Ji set foot in the United States on a student visa. From there, he attended the Illinois Institute of Technology and enrolled in a college program for electrical engineering.
Turns out, he was secretly working for China as an unregistered agent, leading to his espionage charges. His handler, Xu, was convicted of stealing trade secrets from GE Aviation and had been imprisoned for 20 years of espionage. The three other Americans detained in the crackdown were exchanged: Mark Swidan, Kai Lee, and John Leung, who all received very harsh sentences for convictions on phony charges related to possession of heroin or spying against China.
The swap caught Ji's defense attorney, Damon Cheronis, off guard. He had scheduled a meeting with Ji at the federal prison in Indiana just days ago. However, the surprise motion filed by prosecutors on Wednesday revealed that Ji was being released from US custody.
Cheronis said such diplomatic exchanges are common between countries and is relieved that the American detainees are reunited with their families just before Thanksgiving.
Reuters reported that the US State Department had previously characterized the three Americans as wrongfully detained. But this swap is a diplomatic bargain, set against the backdrop of the State Department relaxing its travel advisory against Americans visiting China. The new advice now cautions for increased caution rather than warning of the risk of wrongful detention.
The released Americans were eagerly welcomed back by their families as they were due to arrive in San Antonio, Texas.
Originally published on University Herald.
