New | Armed police patrols stepped up across China in wake of Guangzhou knife rampage

Security was stepped up overnight at China’s major train stations following Monday afternoon’s knife attack on civilians at Guangzhou Railway Station.

In a high profile gesture designed to reassure the public that the government is taking security seriously, the public security minister and two deputy public security ministers visited railway stations in big cities including Beijing and Shanghai last night.

At least six people were wounded when an attacker went on a chopping rampage in Guangzhou in the third assault on civilians at train terminals in two months. Guangzhou police said the attack was carried out by a single person, but witnesses said more attackers were involved.

The attack came less than a week after an explosion at a railway station in Urumqi - capital of Xinjiang, the vast western region home to ethnic minority Uygurs - left two attackers and a civilian dead and 79 wounded. The incident is believed to have been a terrorist attack perpetrated by Xinjiang militants.

Hours after Monday’s attack, public security minister Guo Shengkun visited Changsha south railway station to inspect security measures there.

Fu Zhenghua, deputy minister of public security, assessed the police’s first response competence at Beijing Railway Station and South Railway station and was told it would only take one or two minutes for police to arrive at the scene in the event of emergencies.