The Chinese government said today it had given medical parole to two US-based scholars convicted of spying for Taiwan.
One of the men, Mr Gao Zhan, left this morning, US officials said. There was no word on when the other, Mr Qin Guangguang, would leave.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that both academics - US permanent residents but Chinese citizens sentenced to 10 years in jail on Tuesday - had been granted medical parole.
China has often used medical parole to send convicted dissidents abroad.