Four American university lecturers teaching in China were stabbed while visiting a public park, U.S. authorities said.
Cornell University in Iowa President Jonathan Brand said in a statement that the lecturers were at a park in northeastern China’s Jilin province on Monday with faculty from Beihua University, a private Iowa university affiliated with the university near the city of Jilin, when the attack occurred.
Jilin police said on Tuesday they had arrested a 55-year-old man surnamed Cui as a suspect in the attack. Police said Cui “clashed” with one of the Americans before attacking the group, injuring four instructors and a Chinese national who came to their aid.
Police said the injuries were not life-threatening.
Iowa state Senator Adam Zabner told US media that his brother, David Zabner, was part of that group. Visit the temple “I was visiting a temple in the Chinese city of Jilin when I was stabbed and injured in the arm,” David Zabner told Reuters, adding that he was currently recovering in hospital.
“I spoke to David a few minutes ago and he has recovered from his injuries and is in good spirits. Our family is very grateful that David survived this attack,” Adam Zabner added.
Videos of people covered in blood and lying on the ground in the park circulated on Xinhua on Monday, but no traces of the images could be found on Chinese social media.
Reuters was able to identify the location based on the footage’s context but could not confirm when the video was taken.
The State Department said in a statement that it was aware of the reports of the stabbing and was monitoring the situation.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds wrote to X that she was in contact with the US State Department about the “horrific” attack, adding: “Please pray for their full recovery and safe return, and for the safety of their families back home.”
Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson posted online: “I am shocked that multiple Cornell faculty members were brutally stabbed in China. My team has been in contact with Cornell and will do everything in our power to bring Iowans home safely.”
U.S. Rep. Mariannette Jane Miller Meeks of Iowa said she was trying to contact the U.S. Embassy so the victims can receive proper medical care and return to the United States as soon as possible.
The attack comes as both Beijing and Washington seek to maintain people-to-people exchanges to prevent a deterioration in bilateral ties.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced plans to invite 50,000 young Americans to China over the next five years, but Chinese diplomats say the State Department’s travel advisory is discouraging Americans from going to China.
The State Department has raised its travel advisory for mainland China to Level 3 (the second highest level) and urged Americans to “reconsider travel” due to concerns that arbitrary detention and exit bans could prevent Americans from leaving the country. Some U.S. universities have responded by canceling China-related programs.
According to U.S. data, there are more than 290,000 Chinese students studying in the United States, but fewer than 900 American students studying in China.
Associated Press and Reuters
