Two attempted attacks, one an attempted self immolation with petrol, and another a bomb explosion, rocked Beijing in the area of the US embassy on Thursday afternoon.
Beijing police confirmed in a statement that at around 1pm local time (3pm AEST), a 26-year old man had "ignited a suspected firework device".
"It exploded, causing injuries, on his hand, but without causing any risk to life," the statement said.
The man's surname was Jiang, and he was from Inner Mongolia, according to the statement.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said it was a "isolated security incident" and Chinese police had handled it promptly and properly.
On the scene about an hour after the explosion, Fairfax Media saw police and a dozen black clothed men clearing away debris in evidence bags. Cleaners swept the road but there were blood spatters and material scattered like confetti on the road, as well as black residue.
Witnesses said there had been two incidents, the first at 11am local time, when a woman poured petrol over herself and tried to ignite it, but failed.
One witness said a woman appeared to be aged in her 40s and was carrying a container with petrol in it which she poured on herself, and shouted something about freedom. But before she could set the petrol alight, she was taken away by security.
In the second incident, a man had tried to blow himself up. He had lost his fingers and his shoes had blown off, a witness said. The blast was heard from blocks away.
A blood trail could be seen leading down the street from what appeared to be the explosion site. Witnesses saw a man lying on the ground, and police turned up immediately and put a cloth over the man and took him away in a vehicle.
There was a heavy police presence at the scene, and police were not permitting photographs to be taken.
The US embassy confirmed there was an explosion at about 1pm local time in the public space off the south-east corner of the embassy compound. According to the embassy's regional security officer, there was one individual who detonated a bomb.
"Other than the bomber, there were no injuries. The local police responded," the embassy officer said.
The incidents happened in an area where many Chinese citizens line up each day to apply for visas, and despite the incidents, hundreds of Chinese seeking visas continued to queue outside the embassy to meet their appointments.
The roads around Beijing's US embassy were chaotic, but reopened on Thursday afternoon.
Images shared on social media showed a large number of people looking toward the site of the explosion and grey smoke drifting over the street.
The US embassy, in north-eastern Beijing, is a well-protected compound. The new facility opened in 2008 with a dedication ceremony attended by then-president George W. Bush.The embassy, in the Chaoyang District, is near other embassies, including India's.Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the incident and an embassy spokesman said he was still collecting information.
China and the US are in the middle of a trade dispute, but America remains a hugely popular destination for travel, education and immigration for Chinese citizens.
#BREAKING
YUAN TALKS (@YuanTalks) July 26, 2018
A LARGE #EXPLOSION WAS REPORTED OUTSIDE THE #US EMBASSY IN #BEIJING pic.twitter.com/sfATABNKeu
BREAKING: Explosion outside U.S. embassy in Beijing pic.twitter.com/6HAPAMUurK - @guyu
Shawn McKenzie (@SMcK17) July 26, 2018
