The Chinese government never allows any illegal or violent activities, and China has been and will continue taking effective measures to protect the safety of all foreigners in China, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on September 19.

Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks when asked to comment that the Japanese Consulate-General in Guangzhou released information on Thursday, saying that the boy stabbed in Shenzhen on September 18 has died.

"We regret and are saddened by this tragic incident. We mourn for the passing of the boy and our hearts go out to his family," Lin said.

The boy is a Japanese national, and his father and mother are Japanese citizen and Chinese citizen respectively. After the attack, the boy was immediately sent to hospital, and Guangdong Province sent medical experts to rescue him with all-out efforts, Lin said, adding that the Chinese side will provide necessary assistance to his family in handling related matters.

The case is still under investigation and relevant authorities of China will handle it in accordance with law, Lin said.

"According to what we know so far, this is an individual case. Similar cases may happen in any country. China upholds the rule of law. The Chinese government never allows any illegal or violent activities and will conduct investigation into the case and bring the criminal to justice in accordance with law," Lin said.

"We believe individual cases will not affect the exchanges and cooperation between China and Japan," Lin added.