China urges probing 'common disputes' amid wave of deadly attacks

Amid a string of violent crimes that have left dozens dead and injured, Chinese officials are calling for heightened scrutiny of “common disputes” to address tensions that can escalate into deadly incidents.

The Ministry of Justice convened a public safety meeting Saturday, urging local authorities to investigate disputes over marriage, family, inheritance, wages, housing, and land. The aim is to “strive to resolve conflicts and disputes at the grass-level,” the ministry said in a statement Sunday.

The directive follows a series of attacks, including a car ramming near a Hunan elementary school that hospitalized several victims last week. Earlier, a knife-wielding man killed eight college students in Yixing over academic frustrations, and a driver in Zhuhai killed 35 people after a divorce-related dispute.

The initiative seeks to address underlying grievances as officials grapple with rising public safety concerns.