Four American college instructors were stabbed in northeastern China yesterday. The victims, instructors from Iowa’s Cornell College who are part of an exchange program with Beihua University, were visiting a public park in Jilin when the attack occurred. A 55-year-old suspect surnamed Cui was arrested the same day, and no motive has been released.
The instructors and a Chinese citizen who attempted to intervene were hospitalized and are expected to make full recoveries. Among the wounded is David Zabner, the brother of Iowa State Rep. Adam Zabner (D). Despite the country’s low crime rate, China has seen an uptick in public mass stabbings, including a knife attack at a hospital last month.
The attack comes as Washington and Beijing are hoping to restart academic exchanges post-pandemic. There are about 700 US exchange students currently in China, compared to almost 300,000 Chinese students in the US. See President Xi Jinping’s connection to Iowa here.
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