'U.S. may focus on domestic affairs'
China reiterated its opposition to all forms of terrorism and urged the international community to step up counter-terrorism cooperation following the deadly attack in New York Tuesday.
"We condemn the attack and offer our condolences to the families of the deceased," Hua Chunying, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a media briefing Wednesday.
The Consulate General of China in New York has initiated an emergency plan. China has not received any reports of Chinese casualties in the attack, and we will closely follow developments and offer help to Chinese citizens involved, Hua said.
A truck driver killed eight people in New York on Tuesday, mowing down cyclists and pedestrians in the city's first deadly "act of terror" since September 11, 2001, AFP reported.
Police shot the suspect and arrested him moments after the attack, the New York Times said, and the AFP, citing law enforcement sources, identified the suspect as Sayfullo Saipov, 29, an Uzbek citizen living in Florida.
The attack, plotted and carried out in the U.S., may not be the last one due to the country's chaotic domestic situation, Chinese experts said.
They added that the incident would not affect President Donald Trump's five-nation Asia trip scheduled this month.
"The attack has created a great psychological impact on the American people, as it occurred near the 9/11 Memorial," Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Thirteen others were hurt when the truck driver struck in broad daylight just blocks from the 9/11 Memorial, on the West Side of Lower Manhattan, close to schools as children and their parents prepared to celebrate Halloween. The New York City mayor called the incident an act of terror, the AFP said.
Jin Canrong, associate dean of the Department of International Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the U.S. cannot prevent such incidents from happening, as the attack occurred within the U.S.
Li added that U.S. counter-terrorism measures overseas, which the Muslim world resents, also contributes to such incidents.
Jin said he believes that the U.S. will pay closer attention to its domestic affairs after the incident as it could further tear ethnic relations apart.
