In its verdict, the Ningbo Intermediate People’s Court in Zhejiang Province found that after a disagreement over the pair’s break-up in June 2019 the defendant arranged to meet and talk with the victim, a Chinese woman surnamed Chen, at a bus stop in Ningbo before killing her with a “folding knife”.

The court held that the defendant’s “premeditated revenge killing, stabbing and cutting Chen’s face and neck several times, resulting in Chen’s death, was motivated by vile motives, resolute intent and cruel means, and the circumstances of the crime were particularly bad and the consequences particularly serious, and should be punished according to law”, CCTV reported.

An official with the US State Department said it was monitoring the matter but would not comment further due to privacy considerations.