"Secretary's Visit" Fails to Address Social Injustice as Jiangsu Attacker's Suicide Note Exposed

On the evening of November 16, 2024, a random stabbing incident occurred at the Wuxi Institute of Arts and Technology in Yixing, Jiangsu, resulting in 8 deaths and 17 injuries. (Screenshot from online sources)

[People News] Thanks to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) heavy-handed political censorship of online discourse, the aftermath of two violent incidents in Zhuhai, Guangdong, and Yixing, Jiangsu—leaving dozens dead and injured—was met with silence across CCP state media and online platforms on Sunday. Instead, news about President Xi Jinping’s trip to Peru dominated the narrative in this nation of 1.4 billion.

According to official reports, the car-ramming incident at the Zhuhai Sports Center last Monday left 35 dead and 43 injured. In Jiangsu’s Yixing City, a graduate from Wuxi Institute of Arts and Technology reportedly attacked teachers and classmates with a knife on Saturday, allegedly out of frustration over his inability to receive his diploma and dissatisfaction with internship wages, resulting in 8 deaths and 17 injuries.

Radio Free Asia observed that mainstream Chinese media coverage of these incidents has centered on provincial and municipal party secretaries visiting the injured and vowing to severely punish the perpetrators. However, little attention has been paid to public concerns about security and the societal factors behind these acts of violence.

A Reuters report on Sunday highlighted an unusual and tightly censored online discussion sparked by these cases. The debate focused on the mental health of Chinese citizens, questioning whether contemporary pressures—amid China's slowing economy—are worse than those faced by earlier generations who benefited from rapid economic growth.

Qu Weiguo, a professor at Shanghai's Fudan University, noted some common traits among recent indiscriminate acts of violence in China: the perpetrators are often disadvantaged individuals, many with mental health issues, who feel unfairly treated and see no other way to express their frustrations. In a now-deleted post on Chinese social media platform Weibo, Qu wrote, "It is important to build a social safety net and psychological counseling mechanisms. However, the most effective way to minimize such incidents is to create public channels to monitor and expose the abuse of power."

By Sunday afternoon, Weibo moderators had censored Qu's post, according to Reuters.

Following the CCP's mandate that "media must serve the Party," Chinese newspapers and websites have once again avoided addressing critical societal issues. On November 17, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao reported at least 10 stabbing or vehicular attacks in China since the beginning of the year, six of which occurred in the past three months. Most suspects were aged 37 to 62, except for the young graduate involved in the Jiangsu incident.

According to Hong Kong 01, the alleged Jiangsu attacker’s suicide note circulated online, revealing grievances: He worked 16-hour shifts daily but faced wage arrears from the factory. The school refused to issue his diploma, citing failed exams, even though "most people cheated to pass." The note expressed a desperate hope: "I hope my death will push for progress in labor laws. Don’t think I’m a pushover. Some debts must be settled."

The spate of violent incidents across China raises urgent questions: What are the underlying causes driving such extreme actions?