The US embassy yesterday issued a new warning of possible terrorist attacks on US citizens in the city of Guangzhou, four days after it retracted a warning of possible attacks at luxury hotels in China.
"The United States government has received credible information that a terrorist threat may exist against official US government facilities in Guangzhou," said a statement posted on the Web sites of the US embassy in Beijing and the US consulate in Guangzhou.
"This threat also may exist for places where Americans are known to congregate or visit, including clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools or outdoor recreation events," it said.
"American citizens in south China are advised to be aware of their surroundings and remain alert to possible threats."
An official at the US Consulate General in Guangzhou, who declined to be named, said they have informed the Chinese authorities about the possible threat, and security has been stepped up at the consulate.
A man who answered the phone at Guangzhou police headquarters wouldn't give any information and referred questions to the city government press office, where calls weren't answered.
An employee of the Chinese Foreign Ministry press office in Beijing said he learned of the reported terror threat from the US government warning and didn't have any further information.
The warning was sent by e-mail to Americans registered with the Guangzhou Consulate and to those in nearby Hong Kong, said Susan Stevenson, a spokeswoman for the Hong Kong Consulate.
Stevenson declined to provide any information about the source of the threat or other details. She said the warning was circulated in Hong Kong because people in the city often travel to Guangzhou, about two hours away by train.
She added, "We are not advising people to cancel travel to China at this time."
The warning came after the US Embassy in Beijing issued a similar alert last Wednesday about a possible terror threat against luxury hotels in the Chinese capital.
The embassy retracted that warning a day later, saying Chinese authorities concluded the source of the information wasn't credible.
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