The State Department downgraded its travel advisory for China on Wednesday after the release of three U.S. citizens who had been held in the country for years.

International travel to China has surged. In the third quarter of 2024, inbound trips by foreign nationals exceeded 8.1 million, an increase of 48.8 percent year on year. More than 4.8 million of them, or 59 percent, were under the expanded visa-waiver program.

The State Department on Wednesday downgraded its travel advisory for China, shortly after the White House announced it had secured the release of three Americans as part of a prisoner swap with Beijing.

The White House on Wednesday announced that China released Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung. Swidan and Li were considered wrongfully detained. China also released an American pastor earlier this year.