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November 13, 2024

‘Extremely vicious’ hit-and-run is the latest in a string of jarring, violent attacks

Nectar Gan

Social media

China is reeling from its deadliest known attack on the public in a decade. 

Dozens of people were killed and many others hospitalized in the southern city of Zhuhai after a man plowed his car into crowds exercising at an outdoor sports center on Monday evening, according to police. 

The driver, identified as a 62-year-old man surnamed Fan, was apprehended while trying to flee the scene. An initial investigation suggested he was unhappy with the outcome of a divorce settlement, police said in a statement Tuesday. 

The death toll of 35 is the highest China has seen in such an atrocity since 2014, when a string of terrorist attacks rocked the far western region of Xinjiang.  

It’s also the latest sudden episode of apparently random violence across the country in recent months, including attacks against children, as economic growth stutters, unnerving a public long accustomed to low violent crime rates and ubiquitous surveillance. 

Chinese leader Xi Jinping called the mass hit-and-run in Zhuhai “extremely vicious,” and called for the perpetrator to be severely punished in accordance with the law, state broadcaster CCTV reported. 

The rampage took place the night before host city Zhuhai opened China’s biggest civil and military airshow, which runs through Sunday. 

Chinese officials have often carefully controlled information following attacks on the public in a country where the ruling Communist Party’s prizes stability.

The media spotlight on Zhuhai for the airshow and the high number of deaths from the attack appeared to have only added to the sensitivity.

It took a full day for Zhuhai authorities to release any information on the casualties. The police’s initial statement on Monday, comprised of only two paragraphs, plainly stated that a car “knocked down multiple pedestrians.” 

As news of the attack spread, censors took down online videos of the aftermath and moderated social media discussions. Witness accounts and some Chinese media reports were also censored. 

On Tuesday evening, police released a more detailed account – but then quickly pulled back. 

A police statement mentioned Fan’s repeated attempts to sue his ex-wife over disputes on how to split their assets. Dissatisfied with the rulings of the lawsuit and the appeal, he sought a retrial, the statement said. That information was later deleted in an updated police statement. 

@xiaoshuai/Douyin

Quick U-turn

They arrived in huge numbers on shared bikes after pedaling 30 miles in the evening chill, pumped up with the adrenaline of youth and the thrill of embarking on a spontaneous adventure with friends. 

Nighttime bike rides to Kaifeng, an ancient city known for its historic sites and soup dumplings, have been all the rage among college students in the nearby provincial capital Zhengzhou – a trend initially encouraged by the government as it sought to promote local tourism. 

But now, officials are scrambling to curb the craze by deploying police and closing bike lanes after its popularity appears to have gotten out of hand. Authorities cited traffic disruptions and safety concerns for the clampdown.

But the scenes of tens of thousands of university students mobilizing, organizing and congregating in public are likely to have rattled local officials given the ruling Communist Party’s history with youth movements in China and its obsession with stability. 

China is bracing for what could be a highly unpredictable path ahead in its escalating great power rivalry with the United States, after Donald Trump made a historic political comeback to win the White House. Trump’s return could bring tariffs as high as 60% on Chinese goods – potentially devastating economic growth in the world’s second-largest economy – along with more technology controls, and fiery rhetoric on Beijing. 

As the world braces for heightened tensions in the superpowers’ rocky relationship, China approved a $1.4 trillion plan to bolster its ailing economy by allowing local governments to refinance their debt. But some economists said the move doesn’t go far enough. 

Shoppers at Hong Kong’s Apple stores say they have been approached by Russians with piles of cash offering to buy newly purchased iPhones. Many Russians are keen to snap up the handsets overseas after they became expensive and hard to find in the country due to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. 

A growing group of Chinese travelers are ditching planes to travel long distances by bus and train. They call themselves “iron butt” travelers – inspired by the amount of time they spend traveling on uncomfortable seats. Most of them are young and seeking  cheap adventures as they make their way in China’s uncertain economy.  

Meanwhile, other travelers are making a different kind of daring choice, hanging out at a cliffside cafe in southeastern Fujian province that’s 70 meters (229 feet) above the sea.  

“It’s funny that it’s just two more days, but they act like it’s a gift.” 

—  A social media user reacts to China’s announcement of extended public holidays

Starting next year, workers will get two extra days off during the Lunar New Year and May Day holidays, as Beijing seeks to boost consumer demand. Many users on Chinese social media welcomed the move – but other voices called for more workplace protections and time off.  

• As world leaders gear up for a second Trump presidency, Indonesia's president lavished praise on the US president-elect – who replied in kind. 

• Trump has claimed that Kim Jong Un “misses him,” but analysts warned he will face an arguably more dangerous North Korean leader this time around. 
• Meanwhile, South Korea's leader has picked up his clubs again in preparation for another round of "golf diplomacy" with the US. 
• Also in South Korea, the death of a 39-year-old actor has again highlighted concerns about mental health and pressures in the country’s entertainment industry. 
• As the Philippines reels from a series of recent typhoons, four separate major storms are churning in the Western Pacific in a rare occurrence resulting from warmer oceans that threatens to bring more misery to the country. 

• New satellite images show the record levels of toxic smog shrouding eastern Pakistan and northern India and posing a health threat to tens of millions. 

• Australian airlines canceled flights serving the Indonesian resort island of Bali after an erupting volcano gushed a column of hot ash into the sky. 
• Also in Australia, thousands are lining up to see a stinking “corpse flower” that only blooms once a decade. 
• And, a humble suburban school has beaten competition from skyscrapers, museums and airports to be named World Building of the Year.