According to media reports, on the afternoon of June 24th, the school bus of the Suzhou Japanese School was attacked by a foreign man. In this stabbing incident, a Japanese mother and son were injured. There was also a Chinese woman who tried to stop the attacker and was seriously injured.
Regarding this incident, Hu Xijin expressed his opinion. First, Hu Xijin condemned the attacker, stating that his behavior not only violated the law but also damaged the friendly relationship between China and Japan. Therefore, no matter what, he supports strict punishment for the attacker and for him to face legal sanctions. At the same time, the Chinese woman who tried to stop the attacker should be commended for her courageous act, which reflects the kindness of the majority of Chinese people. Among all Chinese people, most are kind and willing to stand up for justice.
Below is the full text of Hu Xijin's Weibo post:
Hu Xijin condemns the knife attack in Suzhou and makes three basic judgments.
First, Hu Xijin condemns the incident in Suzhou where a man attacked three people with a knife. Regardless of the suspect's motives or whether he intentionally targeted Japanese people, I condemn him. If this person specifically targeted Japanese people, I want to say that his motives would be condemned in Chinese society. There may be some "anti-Japanese sentiment" on the internet, but it does not represent our society's support for extreme actions against Japanese people in China. The majority of Chinese people not only firmly support upholding the rule of law but also hope for peace, friendship, and increased exchanges and cooperation between China and Japan. They generally welcome Japanese people working, traveling, and living in China. I firmly believe that this mainstream attitude cannot be shaken.
Second, Hu Xijin agrees with the Chinese authorities' judgment that the incident in Suzhou, where a Japanese mother and son were stabbed and a Chinese person on the school bus was injured, is an isolated incident in Chinese society, just like the previous case in Jilin where a suspect stabbed multiple Americans. Even if the perpetrator specifically targeted Japanese people, the formation of his motives is extremely rare in China's vast society. In the context of overall order and a generally friendly attitude towards foreigners, such individual cases do not represent any kind of trend; they are isolated incidents within a larger environment. Therefore, while condemning this crime, we should not exaggerate its significance. Just as in other countries and societies, there are cases where foreigners are victims, including some specifically targeting foreigners. We should not interpret the Suzhou incident endlessly just because it happened there.
In this incident, the Chinese woman on the school bus suffered the most severe injuries while trying to stop the attacker and is still undergoing treatment. Hu Xijin believes that her brave actions reflect the kindness of the majority of Chinese people and our collective attitude towards any act of violence.
Finally, Hu Xijin wants to say to netizens that we should understand that the current relationship between China and Japan is relatively tense and complex. At this time, an incident of Japanese people being stabbed will have a more sensitive impact compared to when China-Japan relations are good. Therefore, not only will the law severely punish the criminal, but we should also clearly express our society's condemnation of this act of violence online. This will help expand international understanding of the mainstream friendly attitude of our society towards foreigners and further believe that such incidents are isolated.
Police report "Japanese citizen attacked in Suzhou": Suspect has been arrested
The Suzhou Public Security Bureau's High-tech Zone Branch released a police report:
On June 24th, at around 4 pm, a knife attack occurred at the Xindi Center bus stop on Tayuan Road in Suzhou High-tech Zone, resulting in 3 injuries (1 Chinese and 2 Japanese). The police patrol arrived at the scene immediately and arrested the suspect, Zhou Moumou (male, 52 years old, currently unemployed in Suzhou after recently arriving from another city), and immediately sent the injured to the hospital for treatment.
Currently, the Chinese victim is in critical condition due to being seriously injured while trying to stop the suspect's crime and is still undergoing treatment. One of the Japanese victims is receiving treatment without life-threatening injuries, and the other Japanese victim has been discharged on the same day. Zhou Moumou has been criminally detained. The investigation into the case is ongoing, and the criminal behavior will be severely punished in accordance with the law and regulations.
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It's satisfying to see justice served, but when it comes to matters like this, we should also consider the future. It's hard to say and hard to evaluate, just like how Chinese schools in Japan are not allowed to enter or observe. Actually, what I want to know is how Japan would react if there were a Chinese school on Japanese soil.