A Foreign Ministry spokesman on Wednesday said China will continue to take effective measures to protect the safety of foreign nationals, after a student at a Japanese school in Shenzhen was stabbed earlier in the day.

At a regular news conference in Beijing, Lin Jian said a male suspect was immediately detained and the pupil had been sent to hospital.

An investigation was underway.

The victim is a primary pupil, 10, who was on his way to school when he came under attack.

There was no word on a possible motive.

According to Japanese media, the Consulate-General of Japan in Guangzhou requested local authorities to share information about the case, and to take steps to prevent similar incidents from happening again. (Additional reporting by Reuters)