For a country under so many social stresses, with millions of rural migrants pouring every year into cities and a widening gap between rich and poor, China boasts a remarkable achievement: a sharp fall since the turn of the century in murders and gun crimes. Official surveys suggest citizens feel increasingly safe from violence. Reality is a bit more complicated. Last May a newspaper run by the Ministry of Public Security said China's murder rate had fallen below those of Switzerland and Japan, countries which it said were "acknowledged to have the best public order in the world".
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