Police statement Photo: screenshot

 


This isolated incident will not affect the normal people-to-people exchanges between China and the US, said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Tuesday, in response to media reports that four American teachers were attacked in a park in Jilin city on Monday.

Local police in Jilin city, Northeast China's Jilin Province, have apprehended the suspect in the stabbing of four American teachers in a park in the city. 

According to a police statement, the 55-year-old male suspect and one of the victims had allegedly bumped into each other while walking in the city's Beishan Park. The suspect then attacked this foreign national and three other accompanying foreign nationals with a knife, as well as a Chinese tourist who attempted to stop him. 

The four foreign nationals and the Chinese victim are not in life-threatening condition, local police said on Tuesday. 

At 11:49 am on Monday, police received report of the incident at the park. Police officers quickly arrived at the scene, immediately sent the injured victims to the hospital for treatment, and swiftly went to capture the suspect. 

The suspect surnamed Cui was arrested on the same day, police said. 

The four foreign nationals are from Cornell College in Iowa, US, and were invited to teach at Beihua University with which Cornell College has a cooperation program. Currently, all the injured have received proper medical treatment and are not in life-threatening condition. Further investigations and related work on the case are ongoing, according to the police. 

In response to the incident, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday that all the injured were rushed to hospital and received proper medical treatment, adding that none of them is in critical condition.

Preliminary police assessment shows it is an isolated incident. Further investigation is still under way, the spokesperson said.

China is widely considered one of the safest countries in the world, Lin said, emphasizing that there are effective measures to protect the safety of all foreign nationals in China. "This isolated incident will not affect the normal people-to-people exchanges between China and the US," he said. 

More people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and the US serve the interest of both sides and are supported and welcomed by people from all walks of life in both countries, said the spokesperson at the press briefing. 


Global Times