More transparency from authorities will be vital to allay fears and restore confidence in the country, say, diplomatic experts, as a number of recent knife incidents on foreigners in China could exacerbate concerns about personal safety in the country’s expatriate population.
Following the most recent violence, which resulted in the death of a 10-year-old Japanese child on Thursday morning (Sep 19), one day after he was stabbed in the southern city of Shenzhen, calls for Beijing to be more open about handling such occurrences have resurfaced.
The local authorities reported the attacker’s male criminal history, but they have not revealed his motivation. Citing the current inquiry, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning refrained from commenting on a motive on Friday.
Japan’s ambassador to China, Kenji Kanasugi, was informed over the phone on Thursday by Chinese Foreign Vice-Minister Sun Weidong that the murder was a “single incident perpetrated by a person with a criminal record.”
Spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry Lin Jian emphasised that such attacks may occur anywhere in the world and called the incident “isolated.”
