What’s new: China on Monday urged the U.S. to take “effective” measures to ensure the safety and rights of Chinese nationals within its borders, following the death of a Chinese woman last week in a mass shooting in Atlanta, Georgia.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Beijing had also pressed Washington to “severely punish” the killer as soon as possible, in accordance with the law. She did not name the victim.
The background: Eight people, including six women of Asian descent, were killed last week in a shooting spree that centered on two spas in the Atlanta area.
The alleged gunman is Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old white man from suburban Atlanta who claims the attacks were motivated by a sex addiction, according to police.
But prominent members of the Asian American community point to the ethnicities of most of the victims to claim the killings had a racial motive.
On Saturday, crowds gathered at #StopAsianHate events in Atlanta and other U.S. cities to protest against a wave of violence against Asian communities in the last year.
Contact reporter Matthew Walsh (matthewwalsh@caixin.com) and editor Heather Mowbray (heathermowbray@caixin.com)
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