In June of this year, there were two knife attacks targeting foreigners in mainland China, causing concern over the escalating tension in Chinese society. Researchers point out that the suppression by the Chinese Communist Party has led to increased division among people, and the economic downturn has also sparked dissatisfaction among the public.
On June 24th, a Chinese man attacked a school bus carrying Japanese children in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, resulting in the death of a Chinese woman and injuries to a Japanese mother and son. On June 10th, four Americans were attacked and injured in a park in Jilin City, Jilin Province.
Following the attack in Suzhou, the Japanese Embassy in China issued a warning to Japanese expatriates, stating, “Recently, there have been knife attacks in crowded places in China, such as parks, schools, and subways. Please be cautious when going out.”
According to a report by the Financial Times on July 7th, analysts indicated that the tragic attack in Suzhou is just the latest in a series of recent violent incidents, hinting at the escalating tension in Chinese society. Similar attacks targeting Chinese citizens have occurred across the country this year.
The Chinese government has not disclosed specific data related to knife attacks, and authorities rarely reveal details of their investigations. Despite censorship by the Chinese Communist Party, videos of knife attacks continue to circulate on social media, fueling speculation that social discontent is intensifying among the public.
Due to the long-standing downturn in the real estate industry, the Chinese economy has been struggling, with economists suggesting that the actual unemployment rate is higher than the official figure of around 5%.
Yaqiu Wang, the China Researcher at Freedom House, stated that the suppressive social system of the Communist Party has led to people becoming “increasingly divided.” Isolated individuals may resort to random acts of violence to express their anger and alienation.
“Economic factors play a role in this,” she added. “The economic crisis has made life extremely difficult, leading to people’s dissatisfaction.”
Despite the control measures on firearms and knives in China, stabbing incidents still occur. On July 4th, a 64-year-old man carried out a knife attack in Shenyang, resulting in three deaths and one injury.
In mid-June, a 54-year-old man attacked passengers at a metro station in Shanghai, injuring three people. In May, an attacker killed two people and injured ten at a primary school in Guixi City, southeast Jiangxi Province. In the same month, another attacker killed two people and injured 21 at a hospital in Zhenxiong City, southwest Yunnan Province.
Shuai Wei, a lecturer in Sociology, Social Policy, and Criminology at the University of Liverpool, told the Financial Times that the reliability of Chinese (Communist) crime data is often questioned due to possible underreporting and manipulation of statistics for political reasons.
Wei mentioned that previous studies in China have shown that the crime rate correlates with several economic indicators, including inflation, the unemployment rate, urban-rural consumption, and employment gaps.
On June 26th, Voice of America reported that following the attack in Suzhou, Yip Kam Lung, the convener of the Asia-Pacific Committee of the Hong Kong Citizen Council for Political Studies at the University of Tokyo, believed that the suspect involved had recently arrived in Suzhou and was unemployed due to the economic downturn in China, leading to a surge in unemployment and potential accumulation of public grievances or resentment, which may have contributed to the xenophobic violence or insulting behavior.
Furthermore, prior to the attacks, anti-Japanese and anti-American rhetoric in Chinese official media had been escalating. Last August, there were incidents where eggs were thrown at a Japanese school in Suzhou, and another school in Qingdao, Shandong Province, was attacked with stones due to Japan’s decision to release radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was strongly opposed by the Chinese Communist Party.
Katsuji Nakazawa, a senior contributing writer for Nikkei, stated in an article on July 4th that under the strict control of the Chinese Communist Party, anti-Japanese and anti-American sentiment are among the few politically correct stances that can be expressed safely.
He believed that the current wave of xenophobia is a product of “unstable social conditions and turbulent economic circumstances.”
Nakazawa also noted that the Chinese authorities are reluctant to hastily suppress this wave of xenophobia.
“Perhaps they know that if they take actions to quell the out-of-control online hostility, it might backfire and lead to disgruntled social media users venting their frustrations over high unemployment rates, significant salary cuts, and other economic issues,” he wrote.
In the Suzhou attack, it was reported that bus conductor Hu Youping “rushed forward without hesitation” and confronted the attacker, saving the lives of the children. However, the Chinese authorities made no mention of the Japanese victims. Analysts suggest that Beijing is concerned about undermining its efforts this year to attract international tourists and students to China.
More than 24 hours after the Japanese mother and son were attacked, there was little coverage in Chinese domestic media and minimal online discussion, with the Suzhou Public Security Bureau releasing a police report only after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Communist Party held a press conference to address the incident, followed by coverage from mainland media outlets.