Guangdong’s party secretary, Huang Kunming, has stressed the need to prevent lone-wolf attacks by disgruntled individuals after a car rammed into a crowd in Zhuhai on Monday night, leaving 35 people dead and 43 injured.
The suspect, a 62-year-old man who has been hospitalised with self-inflicted knife injuries, was said to have been angered when a recent divorce settlement did not go in his favour. Although it is virtually unprecedented in scale, the incident is merely the latest in a string of violent attacks – mostly stabbings – that have led to many fatalities and injuries across China in recent years.
In a statement published by the Zhuhai Public Security Bureau yesterday, Huang said that it was necessary to “nip the problem in the bud,” and prevent root causes, adding that “thorough and meticulous work” was needed in terms of handling disputes relating to marriages, family, neighbours, finance, land and property.
The provincial party secretary also highlighted the need to provide greater help to those who are struggling and to boost public security and the management of crowds.
[See more: Mourners light candles as President Xi calls for lessons to be learned from Zhuhai]
Another statement from the Zhuhai authorities detailed a meeting held by the Zhuhai Municipal Committee on Tuesday, during which authorities vowed to support the family of victims and take lessons from the tragedy that occurred outside the Zhuhai Sports Centre – located only a few kilometres away from downtown Macao.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian addressed the tragedy at a press conference yesterday, noting that “no foreign nationals were injured or killed in this incident.” He defended China’s track record for safety, stressing that “China is one of the safest countries with the lowest crime rate in the world.”
In response to the incident, Zhuhai residents have been donating blood, with Chinese language media reporting that over 800 residents donated blood between Monday evening and this morning. Bouquets and candles have been placed at the site of the attack.
Meanwhile, the US Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, posted a message of condolence on Weibo in which he wrote “our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the victims and families affected by the tragic incident in Zhuhai City.”
