Advert
Supported by
The U. S. ambassador criticized the handling of the attack on four professors at a U. S. university, but the Chinese Foreign Ministry called it an “isolated incident. “
By Keith Bradsher
Reporting from Jilin City, China
The incident occurred in a matter of moments: two American teachers from an Iowa school were stabbed in the back on June 10 in northeastern China. Two of his colleagues were then cut on the left arm as they turned towards the attacker. A Chinese national who tried to interfere was stabbed in the abdomen.
Nearly two months later, the attack on the city of Jilin becomes the latest in a series of diplomatic frictions between the United States and China. R. Nicholas Burns, the U. S. ambassador to China, criticized Beijing’s limited disclosure of the episode’s main points and said he was actively pushing for more disclosure.
Chinese government “authorities have not provided any further main points about the attacker’s motivations,” they said in a statement to the New York Times on Tuesday. “We remain dissatisfied with the lack of transparency and have made our considerations transparent to the” government in Beijing.
In response, China’s Foreign Ministry strongly defended the handling of knife attacks. A Times newspaper on Wednesday, repeating what Jilin police said shortly after the stabbings, said the episode began when the 55-year-old attacker collided on a crowded road with an instructor. TheArray, issued through the ministry spokesman’s office, added that the attacker had difficulty walking before the collision, but did not provide further details.
“This matter is an isolated incident caused by a physical collision and dispute between the two sides,” he said. “It was not directed at any specific country or person, nor was it aimed at the American labor corps in China. These disorders can occur in any country.
In an interview Thursday, a U. S. government official, who insisted on anonymity due to diplomatic sensitivities, expressed discontent with China’s position.
We are recovering the content of the article.
Allow JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience as we determine access. If you’re in player mode, log out and log in to your Times account or subscribe to the full Times.
Thank you for your patience as we determine access.
Already a subscriber? Sign in.
Do you want all the Times? Subscribe.
Advertisement