A Chinese man has been sentenced to death for stabbing and killing a 10-year-old Japanese boy in Shenzhen last September. The case, which shocked the local Japanese community, is one of several recent high-profile attacks on foreigners in China.
The sentencing came just a day after another Chinese man, Zhou Jiasheng, 52, received the death penalty for attacking a Japanese mother and child in Suzhou. During the Suzhou incident, a Chinese bus attendant, Hu Youping, was killed while trying to protect the victims. Zhou reportedly carried out the attack after losing his job and falling into debt, claiming he had “lost the will to live.”
These stabbings were part of a series of violent incidents targeting foreigners in China last year. Just days before the Suzhou attack, four American college instructors were injured in a knife attack in Jilin.
Following the Shenzhen incident, major Japanese companies like Toshiba, Toyota, and Panasonic urged their employees in China to stay vigilant. Panasonic even offered free flights home for staff concerned about safety.
Chinese authorities have been cracking down on public violence, with several executions carried out recently. In one case, a man who killed 35 people in a car attack—the deadliest in China in a decade—was executed. Another man was sentenced to death for stabbing eight people at a university, while a third received a suspended death sentence for injuring 30 by driving into a crowd outside a primary school.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, condemned the attacks, calling them “absolutely unforgivable,” especially as they involved innocent children. He also praised Hu Youping for her bravery in protecting the Japanese mother and child.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, assured that the country remains committed to protecting the safety of foreign nationals. However, the rise in public violence, often driven by personal grievances, continues to be a growing concern. Last year alone, there were 19 attacks on strangers, a significant jump from previous years.
These cases highlight the challenges China faces in addressing social tensions and ensuring public safety.
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