Mark Swidan, detained in China for 12 years, to attend State of the Union

Mark Swidan, detained in China for 12 years, to attend State of the Union

NewsNation

Zach Kaplan | February 24, 2026

(NewsNation) — Mark Swidan, a U.S. citizen imprisoned in China for over a decade, will be honored at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday as a guest of Republican Texas Congressman Michael Cloud, who fought for his release.

Swidan traveled to China in 2012 for a short trip to purchase supplies for his new home and business. He was arrested shortly after arriving by the Chinese police on accusations, without evidence, that he was trafficking and manufacturing methamphetamine.

Swidan told NewsNation that during his 12 years in a Chinese detention camp, he slept on a “concrete slab” in a tiny room with 32 other prisoners.

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“There’s no running water. There’s no HVAC. There’s no heat. There’s no AC,” he explained.

Swidan was eventually sentenced to death in 2019 and said in that moment that he “didn’t care.”

“You’ve been in that place that long and pretty much lost everything you have,” he recounted.

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In 2024, the United Nations and Biden administration were able to secure his release, along with that of two other American citizens, Kai Li and John Leung, as part of a prisoner swap.

“I have it in my head that I won. I don’t feel like I’m a winner, but I know I won against them,” Swidan said of his eventual release from the clutches of the Chinese government.

Those who would like to help Swidan can click the link here.