WASHINGTON — The Chinese government has released three Americans with harsh sentences for alleged spying and drug-trafficking — just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump retakes power.

The release was announced by the outgoing Biden White House and it’s unclear whether it was part of a broader deal with Beijing or merely a diplomatic overture after Trump, 78, on Monday threatened a new 10% tariff against China over the country’s fentanyl exports.

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Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung each received significant support among prominent Americans who said their charges were bogus.

Swidan, a Texas businessman, was sentenced to death for dubious drug offenses after his 2012 arrest and counted among his US backers actor Mel Gibson.

Li, a solar cell businessman jailed since 2016, was serving a 10-year sentence on state security charges, and had US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) among his advocates.

Schumer raised Li’s case directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a congressional trip to China last year.

Leung was arrested in April 2021 and was serving a life sentence for alleged espionage.

“Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years,” the White House said in a statement.