Four instructors from Iowa’s Cornell College teaching at Beihua University in northeastern China were attacked in Beishan Park in Jilin City. The attack, reportedly with a knife, left the instructors injured but not in critical condition. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, stated that the injured were taken to a hospital for treatment and that the incident is believed to be isolated. The State Department is monitoring the situation, and Cornell College President Jonathan Brand confirmed the attack occurred while the instructors were with a faculty member from Beihua.
One of the injured instructors, David Zabner, is a doctoral student at Tufts University and was in China under the Cornell-Beihua relationship. His brother, Iowa state lawmaker Adam Zabner, confirmed the incident and stated that David is recovering well from his injuries. The news of the attack was suppressed in China, with social media posts and foreign media reports being quickly taken down.
Cornell College partners with Beihua University, with Beihua funding Cornell professors to teach courses in computer science, mathematics, and physics. The program aims to provide an international perspective and English-language ability to engineering students using American teaching methods and resources. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plan to invite 50,000 young Americans to China in the next five years contrasts with the U.S. State Department’s Level 3 travel advisory for mainland China, discouraging Americans from visiting due to safety concerns.