A string of recent stabbing attacks on foreigners in China could fuel worries about personal safety in the country’s expatriate community, according to diplomatic observers, who say that more transparency from authorities will be crucial to ease fears and restore confidence in the country.
The latest violence – in which a 10-year-old Japanese boy died on Thursday morning (Sep 19), a day after he was stabbed in the southern city of Shenzhen – has renewed calls for Beijing to be more transparent in how it addresses such incidents.
Local authorities had said the attacker was a man with a previous criminal record, but have not disclosed a motive. Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning did not comment on a motive on Friday, citing the ongoing investigation.
In a phone call on Thursday, Chinese foreign vice-minister Sun Weidong told Japan’s ambassador to China, Kenji Kanasugi, that the killing was an “isolated case carried out by an individual with a criminal record”, according to the Japanese embassy.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian also described the incident as “isolated” and stressed that such attacks could happen anywhere in the world.
“China has always taken, and will continue to take effective measures to ensure the safety of all foreign nationals in China,” Lin said, adding that he did not foresee the latest incident affecting relations between China and Japan.
By Friday, extra security cameras near the school and the crime scene had been installed.
In a meeting with Shenzhen vice-mayor Luo Huanghao, Kanasugi called for security to be improved to help keep Japanese residents safe.
The message was repeated during an emergency meeting held by the Japanese embassy, which was attended by representatives from the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China and the Japanese School of Beijing.
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Japanese embassy in China calls for more security after school boy stabbed 
Some Japanese firms in China offer to send staff home after stabbing, employees say The incident on Wednesday was the third knife attack against foreigners in China in the past four months.
In early June, four American teachers from Cornell College in Iowa were stabbed in a park in the northeastern province of Jilin.
They survived their injuries but later that month, a Chinese school bus chaperone was killed in the eastern city of Suzhou while trying to protect a young Japanese student and his mother from an attacker.
Chinese officials have not given motives for any of the attacks, but on Thursday Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida demanded an explanation for the stabbing in Shenzhen.
“We strongly demand that the Chinese side explain the facts of the case. As more than a day has already passed since the crimefachai, we have demanded them to provide an explanation as soon as possible,” Kishida said.
Chinese authorities inspect the scene of a stabbing at the Shenzhen Japanese School in Shenzhen, China Wednesday, Sep 18, 2024, after a 10-year-old Japanese student was attacked by a man. (Photo: Kyodo News via AP)