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US condemns brutal knife attack on Cornell College faculty members in China: “Xenophobic hate propaganda”

In a brutal incident, four US college professors sustained injuries after being “brutally attacked” in a public park in China.

Tourists walk past a gate with the name "Beishan" seen in Beishan Park in northeast China's Jilin Province on January 23, 2020. Four lecturers from Cornell College in Iowa who teach at Beihua University in northeast China were attacked in the public Beishan Park on June 11, 2024, reportedly with a knife. (Zhu Wanchang/CNS Photos via AP)
Tourists walk past a gate named “Beishan” at Beishan Park in northeast China’s Jilin Province on January 23, 2020. Four lecturers from Cornell College in Iowa who teach at Beihua University in northeast China were attacked in the public Beishan Park on June 11, 2024, reportedly with a knife. (Zhu Wanchang/CNS Photos via AP)

Videos circulating on social media show a woman and two men, one of whom was covered in blood, lying on the ground in Beishan Park in central Jilin, where numerous temples are located.

The instructors were taken to a hospital after the unprovoked attack and are being treated for injuries, which are not life-threatening.

Meanwhile, Cornell College President Jonathan Brand issued a statement saying the lecturers were accompanied by a faculty member from Beihua University. A private school in Mount Vernon partnered with Beihua University in the eastern Chinese city of Jilin, according to Cornell spokesperson Jen Visser.

The severity of her injuries and whether it was a targeted or random attack remained unknown. Visser said the university administration is still gathering information on the incident.

In response to Hinson’s post, one user wrote: “Hate propaganda against foreigners on China’s social media is at an all-time high. Ultranationalists blame foreigners.”

“The government is doing absolutely nothing to combat hate, knife attacks, car attacks, etc. Every country should issue a travel warning for China.”

Representative Ashley Hinson of Iowa commented on the incident, saying she was “horrified.” Her team is in contact with Cornell College and will do everything possible to ensure the couple’s safe return.

“This probably also has something to do with the fact that a lot of nationalism and xenophobia is being stoked,” reacted another.

Iowa Rep. Adam Zabner said his brother David was among those attacked in China, claiming the four were visiting a local temple on Monday when an attacker stabbed them with a knife.

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Chinese police confirm arrest of suspect

Meanwhile, the Chinese police and the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed the incident and the arrest of the suspect.

The public security bureau of Chuanying District in Jilin said a 55-year-old man surnamed Cui was arrested for stabbing, and four Americans and a Chinese tourist who tried to stop the crime were also detained.

The unprecedented attack on the Americans comes as China seeks to improve its relations with the U.S. and revive tourism to boost its ailing economy after three years of isolation due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

A U.S. State Department official said U.S. authorities were aware of the reports and were monitoring the situation, but did not elaborate.

The police are currently assuming that this is an isolated case and are now conducting further investigations.

The number of US citizens studying in China has declined dramatically over the past decade. According to US figures, there are about 300,000 Chinese students studying in the US and fewer than 900 Americans studying in China.