On June 10th in Jilin City, a man attacked and injured four foreign nationals and one Chinese tourist with a knife, leading to his arrest on the same day. This incident has attracted ongoing attention from the public. In an effort to mitigate the negative impact of the case, the Chinese authorities not only emphasized that “China is the safest country in the world,” but also deployed online propagandists to divert the public opinion by attributing conspiracy theories to the incident.
The Chaoyang Sub-Bureau of Jilin Municipal Public Security Bureau issued a police alert on June 11th, stating that at 11:49 on June 10th, the sub-bureau received instructions to respond to a crime scene at Beishan Park in Chaoyang District of Jilin City.
The alert mentioned that a man named Cui (male, 55 years old, from Longtan District, Jilin City) collided with a foreign national while walking in Beishan Park and subsequently stabbed the foreign national, three other accompanying foreign nationals, and a Chinese tourist who tried to intervene. The suspect, Cui, was apprehended on the same day.
In a statement, Cornell College in Iowa confirmed that the four injured individuals were teachers from the college who were on a cooperative teaching program at Beihua University in Jilin, including the brother of an Iowa state legislator.
Iowa State Representative Adam Zabner stated that his brother David was one of the victims in the incident where they were attacked by a knife-wielding assailant while visiting a local temple on Monday, June 10th.
The collaboration between Cornell College and Beihua University began in 2018, with the university providing funding for Cornell College professors to travel and live in China, teaching computer science, mathematics, and physics over a two-week period.
Following the incident, the Chinese authorities appeared to be downplaying the negative impact of the event.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a press conference on the 11th in response to questions from foreign media regarding the impact of the event and China’s lack of statement on the matter. The spokesperson Lin Jian replied that “this is a random incident” and affirmed that “China is recognized as one of the safest countries in the world.”
On the same day, Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the Chinese state-run Global Times, posted on Weibo, stating that “China is relatively one of the safest countries in the world,” but also noted that “this incident occurred in broad daylight in a tourist area, showing the need to continually strengthen security measures to ensure the safety of both Chinese and foreigners.”
Furthermore, the Chinese authorities mobilized online influencers to guide public opinion, urging netizens not to over-interpret the situation and reiterating that “China is the safest country in the world.”
Additionally, some nationalist internet users raised conspiracy theories, questioning why someone would bring a knife to a park and stab four Americans over a minor altercation, suggesting that the perpetrator may have been manipulated to create an impression of China being unsafe in the international community.
However, independent commentator Cai Shenkun raised questions on the X social media platform on the 11th, speculating whether the culprit, Cui Dapeng, was a “patriot” deeply influenced by China Central Television’s anti-American sentiment. He also pondered if the American media and political parties would seize this incident to issue travel warnings to Americans.
Cai Shenkun expressed surprise that while the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs often claimed China was the safest place in the world, a case of murder had occurred targeting Americans. It remains to be seen how the eloquent news spokesperson would respond when questioned by foreign media.
Currently, the US State Department, along with several lawmakers and governors, have expressed concern over the case.
Federal Iowa Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks stated on social media that her office is collaborating with the US Embassy to ensure the victims receive treatment and safely depart from China. Federal Iowa Senator Joni Ernst also offered her best wishes to the victims, while Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds called for prayers for the teachers to “fully recover, safely return, and their families back home” on social media.
She wrote, “In the face of this terrible attack, I have been in contact with federal representatives in Iowa and the State Department.”
State Department spokesman Matthew Alan Miller mentioned that they are aware of the reports of the knife attack incident in China and are monitoring the situation.
At a time when American teachers in China faced an assault, Beijing is seeking to maintain cultural exchanges to attract more Americans for tourism and learning in China to prevent further deterioration in bilateral relations. Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged last November to invite 50,000 American youths to study and exchange in China over the next five years to promote people-to-people contacts between the US and China and to stabilize the tense relationship between the two countries.
However, the US State Department previously issued a Level 3 travel advisory (the second-highest warning level) for mainland China, citing arbitrary detention by Chinese authorities and the potential for preventing Americans from leaving China. Some US universities have temporarily suspended programs in China due to the travel warning.