https://nypost.com/2024/12/13/world-news/biden-pardons-high-ranking-chinese-spies/Biden pardons Chinese spies convicted of stealing American tech secrets
President Biden pardoned two Chinese spies and the relative of a high-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party who was caught with tens of thousands of images of child pornography on his computer last month in a prisoner swap between the two countries that was made public Thursday when the three received clemencies.
Yanjun Xu and Ji Chaoqun, who were both convicted of espionage, were granted clemency last month, along with Shanlin Jin, who was convicted of possession of more than 47,000 images of child pornography while a doctoral student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas in 2021.
Their clemencies, signed by President Biden, are dated Nov. 22
Five days later, on November 27, the Chinese government released three Americans who were serving prison sentences in the Communist country: Mark Swidan, a businessman from Texas, who was arrested in 2012 and accused of drug related offenses; Kai Li, who had been held since 2016 on espionage charges; and John Leung, who was sentenced in 2023 to life in prison on spying charges.
The news of the pardons for the Chinese nationals comes comes months after federal authorities in New York have cracked down on alleged Chinese spies in both state and local governments, and a Congressional committee has blasted the Department of Justice for its lack of enforcement against Chinese espionage in the country.
