American siblings banned from leaving China return to U.S. after 3 years

• Beijing also released two Canadians last week that it had imprisoned for more than 1,000 days.

What they're saying: “We are so pleased to welcome Cynthia and Victor Liu back home after three difficult years being held in China as pawns for the Chinese government,” Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said in a statement.

• “Cynthia and Victor had their young lives completely upended as they were prevented from returning home for more than three years," they added.

The big picture: Victor Liu is a student at Georgetown University, and Cynthia Liu is a consultant at McKinsey & Company, according to the New York Times. Both are Massachusetts residents.

• They were never accused of wrongdoing in China but were banned from leaving the country.

• Their mother, Sandra Han — who is also an American citizen and Massachusetts resident — was prevented from leaving China and still remains detained.
• Their father, Liu Changming, was wanted by Chinese police for his role in a fraud case. The detention of Victor, Cynthia and Sandra was seen as a way to force Liu Changming to return to China and turn himself in, according to the Times.

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