China zeroes in on "common" disputes after string of deadly mass attacks

Beijing, China - Beijing is ramping up scrutiny of "common" disputes such as those involving marriages and property, the Chinese justice ministry said, as the public reels from a recent string of deadly attacks.

Workers remove flowers from a makeshift memorial outside the Zhuhai Sports Center in Zhuhai in south China's Guangdong province on November 13, 2024, two days after 35 people were killed when a man drove a car into a crowd in one of the country's deadliest mass-casualty events in years.
Workers remove flowers from a makeshift memorial outside the Zhuhai Sports Center in Zhuhai in south China's Guangdong province on November 13, 2024, two days after 35 people were killed when a man drove a car into a crowd in one of the country's deadliest mass-casualty events in years.  © HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP

China has witnessed a spate of violent incidents in recent months – from mass stabbings to car rammings – a rare development for a country with a proud reputation for public security.

The issue has prompted soul-searching about the state of society, with some despairing about why an increasing number of people seem willing to "take revenge" on random civilians.

The justice ministry has urged local mediators to carry out "in-depth investigations" into disputes involving family, neighbors, land, and wages.

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Such close attention is necessary to resolve disputes at the early stage, the ministry said Saturday.

Earlier this month, a 62-year-old man killed 35 people and wounded more than 40 more when he rammed his car into a crowd in the southern city of Zhuhai – the country's deadliest attack in a decade.

Preliminary investigations suggested the attack had been "triggered by [his] dissatisfaction with the division of property following his divorce," according to local police.

Days later, eight people were killed and 17 others wounded in a knife attack at a vocational school in eastern China.

Police said the suspect was a 21-year-old former student at the school, who was meant to graduate this year but had failed his exams.

China seemingly trying to suppress mass casualty reports on its highly controlled social media

This frame grab taken from video footage circulating on Chinese social media on Tuesday shows the scene where a car crashed outside the Yong'an primary school in Changde, central China's Hunan province, in which "multiple students were injured" according to state-run media.
This frame grab taken from video footage circulating on Chinese social media on Tuesday shows the scene where a car crashed outside the Yong'an primary school in Changde, central China's Hunan province, in which "multiple students were injured" according to state-run media.  © social media / AFP

Officials from China's Supreme People's Court also met Saturday and said they would "severely punish major vicious crimes in accordance with the law and maintain social stability."

Beijing's top public prosecutor vowed "zero tolerance for crimes that infringe students' rights and interests and endanger campus safety" at a meeting Tuesday.

It also pledged to "make every effort to safeguard the safety of campuses and students," according to a post on its official WeChat account.

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On Tuesday, a car crashed near a primary school in central China and injured multiple children.

Many initial videos from that incident appeared to have been removed from China's tightly controlled social media platforms, echoing other mass casualty events.

In the Zhuhai attack, it took police almost 24 hours to release the death toll and videos of the attack later appeared to be scrubbed from social media.

Cover photo: HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP

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