The stabbing attack on four instructors from Cornell College, who were teaching at Beihua University in China's Jilin city, has led to the detention of a 55-year-old suspect by Chinese police. The incident occurred in Beishan Park, where the suspect, identified as Cui, allegedly stabbed the foreign instructors and a Chinese individual who tried to intervene.
The injured were promptly taken to a hospital, and fortunately, none of them were in critical condition, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. The attack appears to be an isolated incident, based on initial investigations by the police.
Cornell College President Jonathan Brand confirmed that the instructors were attacked while at the park with a faculty member from Beihua University. Meanwhile, the US State Department stated that it was aware of the incident and monitoring the situation.
One of the victims, identified as David Zabner, a doctoral student at Tufts University, sustained injuries during the attack. Representative Adam Zabner, David's brother, provided an update on Instagram, stating that David was recovering well in the hospital.
The news of the incident was not widely reported in China, where the government exercises strict control over sensitive information. Despite some social media accounts sharing foreign media reports about the attack, discussions on the topic were censored on popular portals, and images or videos of the incident were swiftly removed.
Cornell College has a partnership with Beihua University, where American professors travel to China to teach courses in various subjects. Beihua University follows American teaching methods and resources, offering an international perspective to its engineering students.
The incident comes amidst efforts by Chinese President Xi Jinping to enhance people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States. However, the US State Department's travel advisory, citing concerns about arbitrary detentions and exit bans in China, has discouraged Americans from visiting the country. Despite this, the Chinese Foreign Ministry reassured that the incident would not disrupt normal cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
