Mr Surapong yesterday welcomed China's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Yucheng and Osaka Governor Ichiro Matsui at the Government House. The Thai minister said that Thailand is standing in the middle on the China-Japan island dispute as the nation has good relations with both countries.
Beijing and Tokyo are having a spat over a group of small islands in the East China Sea, called Senkaku by Japan, and Diaoyu by China.
A vehicle of a Thai consulate official in Guangzhou has reportedly been scratched during the protest near the consulate, as the Thai Consulate is located close to the Japanese Embassy, but no injury has been reported.. The Minister has also warned Thai citizens in China and Japan to stay away from protest sites close to both nations’ embassies and consulates.
