Boy’s killing in China sparks Japanese fears

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Boy’s ******** in China sparks ********* fears

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Getty Images

Security has been stepped up outside ********* schools and official buildings in China

The ******** of a ********* schoolboy in the ******** city of Shenzhen has sparked worry among ********* expats living in China, with top firms warning their workers to be vigilant.

Toshiba and Toyota have told their staff to take precautions against any possible *********, while Panasonic is offering its employees free flights home.

********* authorities have repeated their condemnation of the ******** while urging the ******** government to ensure the safety of their citizens.

The

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

on Wednesday was the third high-profile ******* on foreigners in China in recent months.

In a statement issued to the BBC, electronics giant Panasonic said it would “prioritise the safety and health of employees” in mainland China in the wake of the latest *******.

Panasonic is allowing employees and their families to temporarily return to Japan at company expense, and is offering a counselling service as well.

Toshiba, which has around 100 employees in China, has urged its workers “to be cautious of their safety”.

The world’s biggest car manufacturer Toyota, meanwhile, told the BBC it was “supporting ********* expatriates” by providing them with any information they might need on the situation.

Japan’s ambassador to Beijing has also urged the ******** government to “do its utmost” to ensure the safety of its citizens.

Meanwhile on Thursday, ********* Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the ******* “extremely despicable” and said Tokyo had “strongly urged” Beijing for an explanation “as soon as possible”.

Some ********* schools in China have contacted parents, putting them on high alert in the wake of the stabbing.

The Guangzhou ********* School cancelled some activities and warned against speaking ********* loudly in public.

Some members of the ********* expatriate community in China have told the BBC they are worried about their children’s safety.

One man, a 53-year-old businessman who has lived in Shenzhen for nearly a decade, said he would be sending his daughter back overseas to university earlier than usual.

“We always considered Shenzhen a safe place to live as it’s relatively open to foreigners, but now we are all more cautious about our safety,” he said.

“Many ********* people are deeply concerned, and numerous relatives and friends have reached out to check on my safety.”

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Getty Images

********* communities across China are mourning the ******** in Shenzhen

******** officials in Shenzhen said they were “deeply saddened” by the incident and had started installing security cameras near the school by Thursday morning.

“We will continue to take effective measures to protect the life, property, safety and legal rights of everyone in Shenzhen, including foreigners,” they were quoted as saying in the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily on Friday.

An editorial in the state-affiliated newspaper lambasted the suspected *******, saying “this violent behaviour does not represent the quality of ordinary ******** people”.

On Friday, locals began laying flowers at the gate of the ********* school in Shenzhen.

“It is really sad. It shouldn’t be like that,” a Shenzhen local told Singaporean news outlet The Straits Times.

Another, a retired teacher, said: “This child, no matter which country he is from, is the hope of a family, and of a nation.”

‘Isolated incident’data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==CCTV

******** national Hu Youping ***** trying to restrain a ****** attacker who was targetting a ********* woman and her son in Suzhou in June

As Shenzhen reels from the ********, more details have emerged from various news reports and official sources.

The incident happened at around 08:00 local time (00:00 GMT) on Wednesday outside the boy’s school, the Shenzhen ********* School.

The boy – who ******** police named only as Shen – was stabbed in the abdomen. He later ***** from his injuries in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The assailant, a 44-year-old man surnamed Zhong, was arrested on the spot.

He had a ********* record, having been arrested for “damaging public infrastructure” in 2015 and “interfering with public order” in 2019, according to state-controlled media in Shenzhen.

An eyewitness said the suspect did not attempt to conceal his face when carrying out the *******.

“He didn’t run away, but just stood there and was apprehended by the local police guarding the school,” the witness told ********* public broadcaster NHK.

******** authorities have not revealed the exact motive, but have repeatedly called the stabbing an “isolated incident”, as they did for two previous incidents this year.

In June, a man targeted a ********* mother and her child in the eastern city of Suzhou. That ******* was also near a ********* school and led to the ****** of a ******** national who had tried to protect the mother and son.

It prompted the ********* government to request about $2.5m (£1.9m) to hire security guards for school buses in China.

Earlier in June, four ********* teachers were stabbed in the northern city of Jilin.

Acrimonious ties

Eyes are now on the ******** authorities and how they will assure ********* communities that they are safe in China, while ensuring this does not turn into a major diplomatic crisis.

Ties between the two countries have long been acrimonious. For decades the two sides have clashed on a number of issues, ranging from historical grievances to territorial disputes.

Some have pointed out that the stabbing happened on the anniversary of the notorious Mukden Incident, when Japan faked an ********** to justify its invasion of Manchuria in 1931, triggering a 14-year war with China.

A former ********* diplomat said Wednesday’s ******* in Shenzhen was the “result of long years of anti-Japan education” in ******** schools.

While diplomatic relations may often be strained, economic cooperation has always had a parallel steady existence, according to ********* diplomats who have spoken to the BBC.

But the fact the ******* took place in the cosmopolitan tech hub of Shenzhen may make both sides nervous.

Top ********* firms in China warning their staff may raise questions about their presence there and what that might mean for economic relations between Tokyo and Beijing.

Additional reporting by Chika Nakayama in Tokyo and Kelly Ng in Singapore.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#Boys #******** #China #sparks #********* #fears

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up