China Vice Premier: Stabbing Should Not Affect Ties with Japan

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng told a Japanese delegation he believes a recent knife attack in Suzhou near Shanghai, in which a Japanese mother and child were injured, should not affect bilateral trade relations, according to a member of the mission, Kyodo News reported.

The assailant, who was subdued at the scene in the Jiangsu Province city on June 24, will be properly dealt with according to the law. I Photo: Sikarin Thanachaiary, World Economic Forum Flickr

In a meeting with the Japanese group led by former House of Representatives speaker Yohei Kono in Beijing, the vice premier said the incident in which a Chinese woman died while attempting to stop the attack proved "bilateral friendship" and that he is "confident about the future of Sino-Japanese relations."

He added the assailant, who was subdued at the scene in the Jiangsu Province city on June 24, will be properly dealt with according to the law, Kono's aide told reporters.

Kono, head of the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International Trade delegation consisting of nearly 90 business representatives and other members, extended condolences over the death of the Chinese woman, Hu Youping, 54, and asked Beijing to clarify whether the attacker especially targeted Japanese citizens.

The vice premier said he had heard the incident was an "isolated" one. Earlier, four US college instructors were also hurt seriously after a Chinese person stabbed them.