President of China Xi Jinping attends the plenary session during the 2023 BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on August 2023. On Saturday, Xi’s Ministry of Justice called for increased scrutiny of common disputes following a series of violent attacks across China. Pool File Photo by Gianluigi Guercia/UPI | License Photo
In the wake of a series of violent crimes that have shocked China in recent weeks, Beijing officials are calling for “common disputes” among the public to come under greater scrutiny, focusing on private matters that may devolve into violent rampages.
China has been grappling with a series of violent crimes across the country that have caused numerous casualties Ministry of Justice officials held a meeting on public safety Saturday, when officials directed local organizations to conduct in-depth investigations into “common disputes” as a possible solution. Advertisement
In a statement published Sunday, the Ministry of Justice identified disputes to be examined, including issued related to marriage and family, neighborly relations, inheritance conflicts, unpaid wages and disagreements over housing and land.
The goal is to “strive to resolve conflicts and disputes at the grass-level,” it said.
The meeting was held less than a week after a man drove his car into a group of people near an elementary school in China’s southern Hunan Province, leaving several victims hospitalized.
About a week earlier, a knife-wielding man attacked dozens of college students in Yixing, killing eight and wounding 17 others. Authorities said the man’s motive was he was failing and would not graduate. Advertisement
Just a few days before that, a 62-year-old driver drove his vehicle into a crowd at a sports center in Zhuhai, killing 35 and injuring 43 others. Authorities reported the man was upset over the division of assets in his divorce.
There was a second knife attack in September, in which three were killed and 15 injured at a suburban Shanghai supermarket.
