The Chinese embassy in Thailand has cautioned netizens over attempts by a group identified as a "cyber force" to stir up conflict among Thais and Chinese citizens living in Thailand with the ultimate goal of damaging Thai-Chinese relations.
The embassy was responding to online news reports claiming many Chinese businesspeople and tour guides are stealing jobs from Thais. These were accompanied by calls for the Thai government to take action.
On its website and social media accounts, the embassy urged Thailand to handle these alleged misconduct cases on a case-by-case basis.
The cases involving illegal work or business conducted by Chinese citizens in Thailand should never be generalised into a case of all Chinese people living in the country or Chinese companies operating here, it said.
A cyber force was working with a hidden agenda to spark conflict between Thai and Chinese people by means of spreading online news and information against China and its people in Thailand, it added.
This cyber force has the ultimate goal of destroying Thai-Chinese relations, it said.
Under such circumstances, China will work together with Thailand to combat this ill-intentioned online movement, it said.