In November, China experienced its deadliest known instance of public violence in a decade. A man, upset over his divorce settlement, plowed an SUV into a sports complex in the southern city of Zhuhai, killing 35 people and injuring over 40 others.
The incident followed a string of indiscriminate mass attacks in China. Known as “revenge on society” crimes, they have surged with alarming frequency as perpetrators who saw no alternative channel to vent their grievances lashed out at innocent bystanders. In 2024, 63 people were killed in these mass attacks, while 166 were injured.
Although Beijing has characterized these incidents as “isolated,” the spate of recent tragedies sheds light on a confluence of systemic factors that culminate in mass violence: inadequate social welfare, a slowing economy and austere censorship. China’s continued internal instability could have crucial geopolitical implications for Taiwan, specifically on strategic maneuvers in the Indo-Pacific.
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