China describes attack on four US teachers in Jilin province as ‘isolated incident’, investigation underway – Firstpost

A day after four US university professors teaching in China were stabbed to death while visiting a busy public park, China said on Tuesday the attack in the northeastern Chinese city of Jilin was an “isolated incident” and promised that Beijing would ensure the safety of foreigners in the country.

“The police are currently assuming that this is an isolated incident. Further investigations are ongoing,” AFP Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian was quoted as saying.

Jian said the incident “will not affect the normal development of people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States.”

In a rare case of violent crimes against foreigners, faculty members at Cornell College, a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa, were injured on Monday “in a serious incident” while participating in a partnership program with Beihua University in the northeastern Chinese city of Jilin, according to a CNN Report citing the university management.

“We are in contact with all four trainers and are supporting them during this time,” CNN Cornell College President Jonathan Brand was quoted as saying in a statement, adding that no student participated in the program.

On Monday, a video purporting to show the aftermath of a daylight attack surfaced on Chinese social media, but was quickly censored. The footage shows two men and a woman lying on the ground, heavily covered in blood, surrounded by passersby.

Despite the grim scene, the people appeared to be conscious while talking on their cell phones, as the video shows.

As of Tuesday, details of the attack, such as the motive and the identity of the perpetrator(s), were still unclear.

The US State Department confirmed reports of a stabbing incident in China and is currently monitoring the situation.

Due to the country’s strict gun laws, knife attacks are relatively common in China. There have been several stabbings among the population in public areas such as schools and hospitals. However, attacks on foreigners are rare.

The incident in Jilin on Monday came as China seeks to attract international visitors after three years of strict Covid-19 border restrictions and coincides with efforts to increase educational exchanges with the United States as both countries seek to stabilize their strained relationship.

With contributions from agencies

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