The British Foreign Office urged citizens to exercise “heightened vigilance” in the Chinese capital.
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The American and British embassies in Beijing have issued security alerts to tourists in the Sanlitun shopping district, a location popular among Westerners.
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They did not provide further details about the possible threats.
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The US embassy’s statement on its website today urged citizens to be vigilant, while the British embassy made a similar warning, saying it had received information about possible threats against Westerners on or around Christmas.
The U.S. warning was echoed by the British and French embassies, as well as the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Police in Beijing have issued a yellow security alert over Christmas, which is the second lowest alert level out of four within the Chinese security system.
Security was tighter than usual on Thursday, with armed police posted outside Sanlitun’s shops barricades blocking the entrance to roads in embassy districts. In that incident, a sword-wielding man attacked a Chinese woman and a French man, with the woman later dying at a local hospital. Police said at the time that they would increase inspections on people and vehicles entering Beijing.
China’s counter-terrorism police units have been deployed in key points in Beijing following threat of attacks on foreigners in the festive season.
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“As I understand, if the foreign embassies had issued warning, the Chinese police would step up security to ensure the safety of the public”, she said. The government blamed the attacks on Islamic extremists from the mainly Muslim northwestern region of Xinjiang, where Beijing is now in the midst of a tough anti-terror drive.
