EDITORIAL | Amid Spate of Killings, China Cracks Down on the Poor

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Recently random killings have been occurring frequently in China.

In the background of this phenomenon are China's ongoing deep recession and a sense of social stagnation due to strict censorship. Unless the Chinese leadership under President Xi Jinping responds appropriately to this situation, such tragic incidents will likely continue to occur.

On November 11, a runaway car in Guangdong Province mowed down many pedestrians, killing 35. Then came an incident on November 16, at a vocational college in Jiangsu Province. A former student indiscriminately attacked students on campus with a knife, taking the lives of eight victims. That was followed by a November 19 incident in Hunan Province in which a car plowed into a group of children in front of an elementary school. The incident sent many of the children to the hospital.

Furthermore, in June a Japanese mother and her child were attacked by a man with a knife in Jiangsu Province. Meanwhile, in September a Japanese boy was stabbed to death in Guangdong Province.

Other homicides in which knives or autos were employed as murder weapons have been reported across China. This is definitely an abnormal situation.

*A sports facility where a car went out of control and hit many people. November, in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province (©Kyodo)*

'Revenge on Society'

A series of posts on Chinese social media suggest that people who have fallen into strained circumstances are "taking revenge on society." They are people who lost their jobs or could not find work. In the meantime, they have become desperate.

Xi recently issued an "important directive" calling for all-out efforts to safeguard social stability. In response to this call, a campaign has been launched to track down "people with low incomes and low social status" such as the unemployed. They are to be monitored as "dangerous individuals."

However, this approach is not likely to be enough to contain the problem. What is really being questioned is the very system imposed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

In China, all true labor unions are controlled by the CCP regime. There is no freedom of speech or system for changing leaders through free elections.

Isn't it a fact that the interests of the Party, the government, and the privileged class connected to them have been given priority? This has resulted in growing dissatisfaction that the rights and interests of the people have been severely restricted. Aren't these also the conditions that caused such tragic incidents?

*Security vehicles on guard near the scene where a car went out of control and hit many people on November 12, Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China (©Kyodo)*

Not 'The Safest Country'

The Chinese leadership under Xi should create a support system for people with problems rather than strengthen surveillance. They must build a social safety net, including expanding medical and pension systems. Furthermore, they need to allow the establishment of private-sector labor unions.

Rather than continuously increasing the military budget to expand Beijing's military power and threaten Taiwan, wouldn't it make more sense for the regime to spend China's wealth for the benefit of the Chinese people? The Chinese government must also allow freedom of speech and political democratization.

Beijing's foreign ministry has lauded China as the "safest country in the world." Beginning November 30, it resumed short-term visa exemptions for Japanese nationals. However, unless the root causes of public disorder are addressed, it will be difficult for China to become a country that foreigners can visit with peace of mind.