Foreign embassies in China issued a warning Thursday about possible threats against "Westerners" in a popular Beijing neighborhood ahead of the Christmas holiday.

Foreign embassies in China issued a warning Thursday about possible threats against "Westerners" in a popular Beijing neighborhood ahead of the Christmas holiday.

The notice, from the US and British governments, covered the popular shopping and nightlife area of Sanlitun.

The area has been the site of occasional violence against foreigners, including a grisly murder in August when a Chinese attacker stabbed a French man and his Chinese wife with a sword. The woman later died from her injuries.

The US embassy's statement on its website Thursday 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.

Photos on social media showed a heightened police presence in front of a Sanlitun shopping center home to major international brands.

The city's police department issued a yellow alert Thursday, the second level in a four-tier system, according to a post on its social media account.

A yellow alert is issued when authorities have information about a significant and approaching threat to public security, state media said. They can relate to natural disasters as well as issues linked to social order.