The U.S. Ambassador to China has spoken out about the stabbing incident involving three American citizens and one non-American citizen at a park in Jilin, China, expressing deep concern and anger. Consular officials from the U.S. have visited the victims who are currently receiving treatment.
As of Tuesday, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, three Iowa congressmen, and the Governor of Iowa have all publicly expressed their concern over this incident.
This incident has become a headline news story in multiple U.S. media outlets, sparking widespread coverage and attention.
On Monday, four American teachers were attacked with a knife while visiting a park in Jilin, China, and are currently undergoing medical treatment. U.S. lawmakers have stated that they are working with the U.S. Embassy to ensure the victims receive treatment and can safely leave China.
U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns tweeted on Tuesday, “I am angry and deeply concerned about the stabbing of three American citizens and one non-American citizen living in Iowa in Jilin, China.”
“Today, a U.S. consular official visited these four victims at the Jilin hospital where they are receiving treatment. We are making every effort to assist them and wish them a speedy recovery,” Burns added.
The four teachers are part of a long-term exchange program between Cornell College in Iowa and Beihua University in Jilin. Cornell College had no students participating in this exchange program.
The partnership between Cornell College and Beihua University began in 2018. According to a statement released in 2018, Beihua University provided funding to Cornell College professors to travel and live in China, where they taught computer science, mathematics, and physics over a two-week period.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has characterized the stabbing of the four Cornell College teachers in Jilin as an “isolated incident.” The Jilin Municipal Public Security Bureau announced that they had swiftly apprehended the suspect surnamed Cui.
During a press conference, reporters from CNN, NBC, and Bloomberg News continued to inquire about the incident.
Bloomberg reporter questioned Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian, asking, “If no one has been arrested so far, how can China determine the motive of the assailant? How do they know this was a random incident?”
Lin Jian responded by saying that the police had preliminarily determined this to be an isolated incident and that the matter is under further investigation. He stated, “Such isolated incidents will not affect normal cultural exchanges between China and the U.S.”
According to the Jilin Municipal Public Security Bureau, Cui injured the foreign national and three other foreign individuals, as well as a Chinese tourist who tried to intervene, during a walk in Beishan Park.
Yaqiu Wang, Director of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan Studies at Freedom House, questioned, “What kind of person carries a knife for a walk in the park? Anyway, these stabbing videos have now been censored on the Chinese internet.”
State media outlets in China, including CCTV, newspapers, and websites, have not reported on the incident as unofficial reports from outlets like ifeng.com and Netease—quoting tweets from Hu Xijin, chief editor of the former nationalist tabloid Global Times that defended the Chinese regime—have all been taken down with a 404 error.
“Now the incident is being broadcast on American TV everywhere. This will not only have a negative impact on educational exchanges between the two countries,” Wang wrote, “but may become a significant event in the trajectory of U.S.-China relations, especially if China (the CCP) handles it with their usual lack of transparency and censorship.”
Many Americans have expressed their prayers for the victims, hoping for their swift recovery and return to the United States.
Many people have stated that they are concerned about traveling to China and feel unsafe.
At the time of the attack, Beijing was seeking to maintain cultural exchanges to attract more Americans for tourism and learning in China to prevent deterioration in bilateral relations.
The Chinese government has announced a plan to invite 50,000 young Americans to China over the next five years. Meanwhile, Chinese diplomats have criticized the U.S. State Department’s travel warnings that deter Americans from visiting China.
The U.S. State Department issued a Level 3 travel advisory (the second-highest level of warning) for mainland China citing arbitrary detentions by the Chinese authorities and potential travel restrictions that prevent Americans from leaving China. Some U.S. universities have suspended China programs due to this travel warning.
According to archived Weibo images and videos, the four teachers were bleeding and lying on the ground awaiting rescue with visible bloodstains on the ground.
“I noticed that nobody was helping them. In the U.S., bystanders would apply pressure to the wound and assist the victims. It’s too cold there,” wrote a Western internet user.