Chinese Police Detain Suspect in Stabbing of Four U.S. College Instructors

Chinese authorities have apprehended a suspect in connection with a stabbing attack on four instructors from Iowa's Cornell College, who were teaching at Beihua University in Jilin, northeastern China, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The Jilin city police reported that the incident occurred on Monday in Beishan Park. A 55-year-old man, identified by his surname Cui, reportedly attacked a foreign individual and subsequently stabbed three other foreigners and a Chinese national who tried to intervene. The motive behind the attack remains unclear.

According to officials from Cornell College, the injured instructors were part of an exchange program at Beihua University. They were promptly taken to a hospital, and none of them are in critical condition, stated Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Preliminary investigations suggest the attack was an isolated incident.

Cornell College President Jonathan Brand issued a statement noting that the instructors were at the park with a Beihua University faculty member. Monday was a public holiday in China, which might have influenced the location and timing of the outing.

In a related development, Iowa state lawmaker Rep. Adam Zabner revealed on Instagram that his brother, David Zabner, a doctoral student at Tufts University participating in the Cornell-Beihua exchange program, was among the injured. Rep. Zabner reassured that his brother is recovering well.

The U.S. State Department is closely monitoring the situation. This incident comes at a time when both Washington and Beijing are aiming to enhance people-to-people exchanges amid ongoing diplomatic tensions over issues such as Taiwan, the South China Sea, and the conflict in Ukraine.

Cornell College, located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, has been collaborating with Beihua University since 2018. The partnership allows Cornell professors to teach in China, particularly in subjects like computer science, mathematics, and physics. The program integrates American teaching methods and resources to offer Beihua students an international perspective and improve their English proficiency.

Despite the incident, Lin from the Chinese Foreign Ministry emphasized that China is committed to ensuring the safety of foreigners and hopes that this isolated event will not disrupt cultural and academic exchanges between China and the U.S.

The broader context of U.S.-China relations includes a travel advisory by the U.S. State Department, citing risks of arbitrary detentions and exit bans. This advisory, currently at Level 3, advises Americans to reconsider traveling to China, leading some U.S. universities to suspend their programs in the country.