UK, U.S. Warn of ‘Possible Threats’ to Westerners in Beijing

The British embassy said they have also received information on the same threats in the Sanlitun area.

The British and US embassies in China have issued a warning about possible attacks targeting “Westerners” in a Beijing area popular among foreigners ahead of the Christmas holiday. The American & British warnings, which have been worded identically, singled out the Sanlitun neighborhood in japanese Beijing, still they gave no details concerning the potential threat.

A yellow alarm is the second lowest in China, and is often used during holidays – including the National Day in October – at crowded areas such as shopping malls.

Chinese police stepped up patrols in the district on Thursday following the warnings.

There was no statement from the Chinese government.

Every medium or large supermarket and shopping mall in Beijing will have police stationed inside, said the bureau.

In a section of the website specifically about China, it says there is a “general threat from terrorism”, but adds that the risk of attacks is higher in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region.

Security was tighter than usual on Thursday, with armed police posted outside Sanlitun’s shops barricades blocking the entrance to roads in embassy districts. The area has seen violence before: In August, a Chinese woman was stabbed to death outside a Uniqlo clothing store as she walked with her French husband. The attacker also injured a French man. Meanwhile, pictures have circulated on WeChat showing armed military vehicles inside a pedestrian shopping area and near some embassy offices.

It also said that the education authority in Haidian District had asked schools in the district not to take students to crowded places, such as Sanlitun, during Christmas time and the New Year.