China faces calls for transparency after latest stabbing attack sparks safety fears

A string of recent stabbing attacks on foreigners in China could fuel worries about personal safety in the country’s expatriate community, according to diplomatic observers, who say that more transparency from authorities will be crucial to ease fears and restore confidence in the country.

The latest violence – in which a 10-year-old Japanese boy died on Thursday morning (Sep 19), a day after he was stabbed in the southern city of Shenzhen – has renewed calls for Beijing to be more transparent in how it addresses such incidents.

Local authorities had said the attacker was a man with a previous criminal record, but have not disclosed a motive. Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning did not comment on a motive on Friday, citing the ongoing investigation.

In a phone call on Thursday, Chinese foreign vice-minister Sun Weidong told Japan’s ambassador to China, Kenji Kanasugi, that the killing was an “isolated case carried out by an individual with a criminal record”, according to the Japanese embassy.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian also described the incident as “isolated” and stressed that such attacks could happen anywhere in the world.

“China has always taken, and will continue to take effective measures to ensure the safety of all foreign nationals in China,” Lin said, adding that he did not foresee the latest incident affecting relations between China and Japan.

By Friday, extra security cameras near the school and the crime scene had been installed.

In a meeting with Shenzhen vice-mayor Luo Huanghao, Kanasugi called for security to be improved to help keep Japanese residents safe.

The message was repeated during an emergency meeting held by the Japanese embassy, which was attended by representatives from the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China and the Japanese School of Beijing.

The incident on Wednesday was the third knife attack against foreigners in China in the past four months.

In early June, four American teachers from Cornell College in Iowa were stabbed in a park in the northeastern province of Jilin.

They survived their injuries but later that month, a Chinese school bus chaperone was killed in the eastern city of Suzhou while trying to protect a young Japanese student and his mother from an attacker.

Chinese officials have not given motives for any of the attacks, but on Thursday Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida demanded an explanation for the stabbing in Shenzhen.

“We strongly demand that the Chinese side explain the facts of the case. As more than a day has already passed since the crime, we have demanded them to provide an explanation as soon as possible,” Kishida said.

A 44-year-old suspect, surnamed Zhong, confessed to attacking the boy, according to a report by Southern Metropolis Daily and Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, citing a police source.

Diplomatic observers cautioned that an outbreak of violence against foreigners combined with Beijing’s opaque approach could fuel insecurity, undermining China’s attempts to lure back foreign visitors. The authorities should release more details on the incidents to ease public concerns, they said.

Last year, China introduced visa-free entry policies for several countries and recently broadened the scheme to include visa-free transits, allowing travellers from certain countries to remain in specific areas for up to 144 hours.

Despite China’s multiple measures to attract foreign investment and tourists, the recent attacks could “significantly undermine these efforts”, according to Zheng Zhihua, an associate professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Police statements about such incidents tended to “downplay the involvement of foreigners in the stabbing incidents”, Zheng added, noting that the latest victim was only identified as a minor with the surname Shen.

“It seems to be a conscious effort to prevent any perception of animosity or violence towards foreigners in Chinese society.”

The assault happened on a significant date in China – the anniversary of the 1931 “918 Incident” – also known as the Manchurian, or Mukden, Incident – which led to the Japanese invasion of the region and has come to symbolise national disgrace.

Ahead of the anniversary, Japan had asked that Chinese authorities step up safety measures at Japanese schools. It was not clear if this had happened at the school in Shenzhen before the sensitive date.

“Given this situation, we are profoundly disappointed that the incident still took place,” Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said.

Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, warned that more such attacks could foster a perception that foreigners were unwelcome in China, potentially leading to a decline in people-to-people exchanges.

He added that stabbings might reinforce the perception that China was not a welcoming place for foreigners.

“Foreigners and foreign companies could stay away as a result. This could also accelerate the relocation of corporations away from China,” he added.

“Should this trend increase and become persistent, people-to-people exchanges in China could diminish. There could well be a view that people-to-people contact in the country could be dangerous rather than beneficial,” Chong said.

In response to the attack, Panasonic Holdings Corporation is allowing its Japanese employees in China to temporarily return home, and is covering the costs for both the employees and their family members. The company will also provide counselling for its employees, according to a report by Japan’s Jiji Press.

“Local governments have shown some deficiencies in handling these incidents, such as not fully disclosing to the public the attackers’ motives, their mental state, whether they were targeting foreigners, as well as criminal procedure process,” Zheng, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said.

The government had a responsibility to clarify and keep the public informed to dispel any concerns foreigners may have about potential hostility or aggression towards them in China, he added.

Chong agreed, adding that a “lack of transparency and explanations tend to fuel speculation. Foreigners are more likely to attribute threats to physical safety to China’s social environment more broadly”.

Foreigners might conclude that increasing Chinese nationalism had contributed to the recent attacks, he said.

Zhang Yun, an associate professor of international relations at Japan’s Niigata University, said the most important step now would be to “calm down emotions in both countries”, noting that it remained uncertain if nationalist motives were the sole reason for the attack.

“Such incidents can easily create negative societal perceptions in both countries. If societal perceptions deteriorate or become negative, it can be extremely detrimental to the entire Sino-Japanese relationship, both politically and economically,” Zhang said.

The incident sparked strong anti-Chinese and anti-Japanese sentiment in both countries.

On X, numerous Japanese users urged their government to cut diplomatic relations with China and advise nationals to leave immediately. They also said the authorities should not allow Chinese tourists to visit.

In China, some online posts labelled Japanese schools as espionage hubs and demanded they be closed.

But Beijing has also been criticised for fanning nationalism, with one person commenting that the recent attacks were the result of “spreading the seed of hatred in the daily education and propaganda in the country”.

After the Suzhou attack, Japan’s foreign ministry requested a ¥350 million (US$2.4 million) budget for the next financial year to help improve the safety of Japanese school buses in China.

The additional funding would pay for security guards to be assigned to each school bus serving the 11 Japanese schools located in nine major cities in China.

This story was first published on SCMP.