Local Chinese official dies after stabbing following housing dispute

A county official, previously responsible for housing in northern China, was reportedly stabbed to death by a man the government said was illegally occupying state property.

On Wednesday, the government website of Qin County in Shanxi Province published an obituary stating that the secretary and party chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference of Qin County, Guo Jianyu, 58, was was killed around 7 a.m. Monday while on duty.

The obituary said Guo was responsible for the illegal occupation of state-owned housing and that the suspect was an illegal occupant. He did not give details of the dispute.

However, mainland legal media outlet Fadulaw, citing an anonymous source, said on its WeChat account that the incident is believed to be linked to a housing dispute stemming from Guo's tenure as township chief.

Guo was chief of Dingchang City in Qin County between 2006 and 2011.

On Monday, a local police report said there was a stabbing incident in a residential area in Qin County, resulting in the death of one person. A suspect, An Yaohong, was arrested at 7:45 p.m. the same day.

Guo became vice mayor of Qin County in 2011, a position that usually deals with municipal issues including housing, and he became chairman of the CPPCC of Qin County in 2016.

However, direct violence against civil servants remains rare.

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