News Brief
US College Instructors Stabbed In China Amid Xi's Educational Outreach
Pic Via SCMP
Four American college instructors were reportedly injured in a stabbing incident at a public park in China.
The instructors, who were on academic exchange and worked at Iowa's Cornell College, were involved in what the college described as a 'serious incident' in Jilin city.
Jilin city is home to Beihua University, which has a cooperative relationship with the US private academy.
Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson said on X she was "horrified" that the Cornell College faculty members had been "brutally stabbed".
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds stated that the state was actively coordinating with Iowa's federal delegation and the State Department in response to the attack.
She also called for prayers for the instructors' full recovery and safe return home.
A spokesperson from the US State Department acknowledged that they were 'aware of reports of a stabbing incident in Jilin, People's Republic of China'.
The motive behind the attack remains unclear.
Videos and photos of the injured foreigners circulated on social media, depicting them lying on the ground with police and bystanders nearby.
The incident, which took place approximately 1 kilometer from government offices, occurred amidst efforts by Beijing and Washington to ease tensions in their technological and ideological competition through cultural exchanges.
In November last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced Beijing's readiness to host 50,000 young Americans for exchanges and study over the next five years.
This initiative followed an agreement between President Xi and US President Joe Biden to promote expanded educational, student, youth, cultural, sports, and business exchanges during their summit in California last year.
