In Beijing there is something else for Westerners to be concerned about in addition to the usual pollution. Austin Ramzy described the situation in The New York Times:
Some people were reminded of scenes elsewhere in China:
I too was reminded of scenes in China including similarly armed police. One was over three years ago in Xining, Qinghai. It too was at a popular shopping district. I hadn't noticed the police there on previous days, and it occurred on a sensitive date in China — June 4, the anniversary of the violent crackdown at the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
The other scene occurred more recently over five months ago in Shanghai. One day as I walked down the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street I unexpectedly saw rifle-armed police.
Like Sanlitun, the street is a popular destination for foreigners, though perhaps more for tourists than those living in Shanghai. Seeing the police made me think of the immense police presence I had seen earlier in the year at the nearby Bund after the deadly New Year's Eve stampede. I didn't know if armed police had appeared at the pedestrian street on earlier days or during previous months when I was elsewhere in China. I wondered what led to the increased security and whether there was any knowledge about a specific threat.
After I dug up the above photo this evening, my attention was quickly drawn to another detail — one I don't think I considered much on that summer day and probably wouldn't now without knowing the details of the current warnings for Westerners in Beijing. I won't soon again forget the date of when I first saw rifle-armed police on a Shanghai street. It wasn't June 4 or Christmas. It wasn't even a day of particular note for most people in China. But it was a notable day for Americans. It was the 4th of July.
Now I wonder if that wasn't a coincidence.
Several foreign embassies in Beijing, including the American and British ones, warned on Thursday of possible threats against Westerners in a shopping district on or around Christmas Day, urging their citizens to “exercise heightened vigilance.” . . .Fortunately, no attacks have been reported so far. Whether or not the increased police presence has made a difference, it has already left its mark and not gone unnoticed:
The police presence in Beijing was increased on Thursday, with armed officers stationed in front of a main shopping complex in Sanlitun, Taikoo Li Sanlitun, and other intersections in the area.
Never seen rifle toting armed forces in Taikooli before #sanlitun #beijing pic.twitter.com/aG2t7xPA1h
— Tom Phillips (@tomphillipsin) December 24, 2015
Some people were reminded of scenes elsewhere in China:
Rifle-armed China security forces in strange places these days. I saw some at Dali airport entrance in late Nov. https://t.co/k1jNDR68ZO
— Edward Wong (@comradewong) December 24, 2015
I too was reminded of scenes in China including similarly armed police. One was over three years ago in Xining, Qinghai. It too was at a popular shopping district. I hadn't noticed the police there on previous days, and it occurred on a sensitive date in China — June 4, the anniversary of the violent crackdown at the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
The other scene occurred more recently over five months ago in Shanghai. One day as I walked down the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street I unexpectedly saw rifle-armed police.
Like Sanlitun, the street is a popular destination for foreigners, though perhaps more for tourists than those living in Shanghai. Seeing the police made me think of the immense police presence I had seen earlier in the year at the nearby Bund after the deadly New Year's Eve stampede. I didn't know if armed police had appeared at the pedestrian street on earlier days or during previous months when I was elsewhere in China. I wondered what led to the increased security and whether there was any knowledge about a specific threat.
After I dug up the above photo this evening, my attention was quickly drawn to another detail — one I don't think I considered much on that summer day and probably wouldn't now without knowing the details of the current warnings for Westerners in Beijing. I won't soon again forget the date of when I first saw rifle-armed police on a Shanghai street. It wasn't June 4 or Christmas. It wasn't even a day of particular note for most people in China. But it was a notable day for Americans. It was the 4th of July.
Now I wonder if that wasn't a coincidence.
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