Thailand will set up a consulate office in Xiamen, a coastal city in east China's Fujian Province, according to Thailand's consulate general in south China's Guangdong Wednesday.

The office will be launched within days and will be upgraded to a formal consulate in a year, according to diplomatic sources, who declined to be named.

The office will make it easier for Fujian residents to apply for a Thai visa and will facilitate trade ties between Xiamen and Thailand.

(Xinhua News Agency June 9, 2005)