Chinese woman held hostage on street by cleaver wielder

A man shouts at police officers as he holds a woman hostage with a cleaver on a street in Kunming, Yunnan province (Reuters)

A man armed with a large meat cleaver held a woman hostage on a street in China in a terrifying incident caught almost entirely on camera.

The man, who appeared to be in an emotional state, was seen talking to police as the woman stood calmly with the blade inches from her neck in Kunming, Yunnan Province.

The Shanghai Daily reported that police cordoned off the area and attempted to negotiate with him.

After about an hour a man, who appeared to be an unarmed, undercover police officer, approached from the side and tackled the knifeman to the ground as the woman slipped from his grasp.

She then reportedly fainted and was taken to hospital. The officer was also injured as he subdued the man, whose motives were unclear.

Radio Free Asia reported last month that there had been a 29 fatal knife attacks in Kunming during what it described as a “slashing rampage”. The authorities blamed the attacks on separatists from the Xinjiang Uyghur region.