Man held in Beijing after explosion at US embassy

Chinese police say the explosion outside the US Embassy in Beijing was caused by a small homemade device wielded by a 26-year-old man who hurt only himself.

Photos on social media showed a large amount of smoke and police vehicles surrounding the embassy. 

The police statement identified the man only by his surname, Jiang, and said he was from the city of Tongliao in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia.

No other injuries were reported.

Photos posted on Twitter showed a large amount of smoke and what appeared to be police vehicles surrounding the vast structure in northeastern Beijing.

Earlier today a woman was arrested after an apparent attempt at setting herself alight.

The ruling Communist Party newspaper Global Times said police "took away a woman spraying gasoline on herself in suspected attempt at self-immolation" at around 11am.

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.

The blast happened at 1pm local time and was near where many Chinese citizens gather every day for visa applications.

Social media images showed passers-by looking toward the explosion as grey smoke drifted over the street.

With AP