U. S. WARNS AMERICANS IN SOUTHERN CHINA

Nov 14, 8:08 PM (ET)

By HELEN LUK

HONG KONG (AP) - The U.S. government is warning of a possible terrorist threat to American facilities in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.

The warning was sent out by the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou. It didn't give any information about the source of the threat or other details.

"The United States government has received credible information that a terrorist threat may exist against official U.S. government facilities in Guangzhou," said the warning, which was dated Sunday.

"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," the warning said.

An official at the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou said Chinese authorities had been informed about the possible threat and that security had been increased 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 said he 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 N. 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."

In Washington, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said he was not aware of any connection between the threat and President Bush's current eight-day trip to Asia, which includes a visit to China. Ereli said the threat may extend to places in the city where Americans are known to congregate.

The U.S. Embassy in Beijing issued a similar alert last week 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.