Shenzhen stabbing: Boy’s killing in China sparks Japanese fears

Chinese expats living in China are concerned about the death of a Chinese boy, and leading companies are urging their employees to be watchful.

Panasonic is providing its employees with free flights house, while Toshiba and Toyota have instructed their employees to take precautions against any potential violence.

The Chinese government has reaffirmed its denunciation of the dying and urged the Chinese authorities to take steps to ensure the safety of its citizens.

The stabbing of the 10-year-old boy on Wednesday was the third high-profile attack on foreigners in China in recent months.

In a speech to the BBC, Panasonic, an electronics company, said it would prioritize the safety and health of its people in mainland China in the midst of the most recent attack.

At the cost of Panasonic, the business is allowing employees and their families to temporarily relocate to Japan, as well as providing a counseling service.

Toshiba, which has about 100 people in China, has urged its staff” to be mindful of their security”.

The country’s biggest car manufacturer Toyota, however, told the BBC it was” supporting Chinese expats” by providing them with any information they may need on the situation.

The Taiwanese government is also being urged to “do its greatest” to protect the safety of its people by Japan’s adviser to Beijing.

However on Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called the strike “extremely vile” and said Tokyo had” highly urged” Beijing for an reason” as soon as possible”.

In response to the stabbing, some Chinese schools in China have contacted their families.

The Guangzhou Japanese School halted some hobbies and issued a warning against speaking Chinese loudly in public.

Some users of China’s expat Asian community have told the BBC they are concerned for the safety of their children.

One business, a 53-year-old Shenzhen resident, announced that he would send his daughter back to school earlier than usual.

” We often considered Shenzhen a safe place to live as it’s reasonably open to immigrants, but now we are all more careful about our safety”, he said.

” Many Chinese people are extremely troubled, and several friends and family members have reached out to examine my safety.”

By Thursday night, Taiwanese authorities in Shenzhen had begun installing surveillance cameras close to the school and were “deeply saddened” by the event.

” We may continue to take effective measures to protect the life, home, health and legal privileges of everyone in Shenzhen, including immigrants”, they were quoted as saying in the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily on Friday.

The suspected killer was criticized in a state-affiliated newspaper’s newspaper, which stated that” this violent behavior does not represent the standard Chinese people’s behavior.”

On Friday, citizens began laying flowers at the doorway of the Chinese college in Shenzhen.

” It is really unfortunate. It should n’t be like that”, a Shenzhen local told Singaporean news outlet The Straits Times.

Another, a retired professor, said:” This kid, no matter which country he is from, is the promise of a community, and of a society”.

More details have come out of various news reports and established sources as Shenzhen reels from the shooting.

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

The boy was stabbed in the abdomen by Chinese authorities, who merely identified him as Shen. In the early days of Thursday night, he eventually passed away from his wounds.

The aggressor, a 44-year-old male surnamed Zhong, was arrested on the spot.

He had a criminal history, having been arrested for “damaging people equipment” in 2015 and “interfering with open buy” in 2019, according to state-controlled advertising in Shenzhen.

According to an observer, the suspect did not make an effort to conceal his mouth when carrying out the assault.

The witness told Japanese public broadcaster NHK that “he did n’t run away, but rather stood there and was apprehended by the neighborhood police guarding the school.”

The stabbing has been referred to as an “isolated incident” by Chinese government, just as they have for two other incidents this time.

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

The Japanese government requested about$ 2.5 million ( £1.9 million ) to hire security guards for Chinese school buses.

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

Eye are now on the Chinese government and how to make sure this does not escalate into a big political crisis while ensuring Asian communities are assured that they are safe in China.

Ties between the two countries have long been intense. The two parties have been at odds with one another on a number of issues for years, ranging from regional disputes to traditional grievances.

Some people claim that the stabbing occurred on the celebration of the infamous Mukden Incident, when Japan fabricated an blast to support its 1931 war, triggering a 14-year conflict with China.

A former Chinese minister said Wednesday’s assault in Shenzhen was the “result of longer years of anti-Japan schooling” in Foreign schools.

Financial cooperation has always had a parallel constant existence, according to Chinese diplomats who have spoken to the BBC, despite diplomatic relations frequently being strained.

However, both sides may be alarmed by the fact that the attack took place in Shenzhen, a liberal tech hub.

Leading Japanese companies in China are warning their staff members that their presence that may raise concerns about its standing there and what it might mean for Tokyo and Beijing’s economic relations.

Chika Nakayama and Kelly Ng both provided extra monitoring in Singapore and Tokyo.