The following is an op-ed written by G.A. Donovan, Fellow for Chinese Society and Political Economy at ASPI's Center for China Analysis, and published in The Diplomat. 

In a horrifying scene outside a primary school in the central Chinese city of Jinhua on April 22, a driver deliberately crashed his car into the crowd as parents collected their children at the end of the day. Censors acted quickly to delete images of the carnage as they began to circulate on social media.

Police at local stations declined to speak with journalists about the tragedy, which reportedly resulted in at least 14 deaths, including nine students. Authorities have still not confirmed the incident or released any information about it.

The sustained official silence came in sharp contrast to a similar incident in the southern city of Zhuhai on November 11 of last year, when a man drove his car onto an exercise track at a sports center, killing 38 and injuring dozens more.

This was the most serious of a series of high-profile mass casualty incidents over the past year that sparked widespread unease. Labeled “taking revenge on society” attacks, many were carried out by people struggling with financial or family problems. The assailant in Zhuhai had reportedly been angry about his divorce. 

Read the full op-ed here.