Lin's release raises hopes for two other US citizens detained in China and believed to be unjustly held by Washington.
China has released David Lin, an American pastor who had been in prison since 2006, the US State Department said.
Lin, now 68, was jailed for life after being convicted of contract fraud.
Washington has called him unjustly detained and has been urging Beijing to release him for years.
“We applaud David Lin’s release from prison in the People’s Republic of China. He has returned to the United States and will now be able to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years,” a State Department spokesperson said.
Lin's daughter, Alice, previously told media outlet Politico that her father was expected to arrive in Texas on Sunday.
“There are no words that can express the joy we feel – we have a lot of time to make up for,” he said, according to Politico.
In addition to Lin, China has detained several other US citizens, including Kai Li, a businessman accused of espionage in 2016.
Last November, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee urged President Joe Biden to use a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping to push for the release of Lin, Li and a third detainee, Mark Swidan.
Washington says the three were unjustly detained. China says the cases are being handled according to law.
“Our hope is that David's release will create the space for additional diplomacy” to free Swidan and Li, a US official familiar with the negotiations was quoted as saying by Politico.
Lin's release comes just weeks after national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.
A congressional committee is due to hold a hearing on Wednesday on the case of US citizens imprisoned in China.
