The Chinese government officially gave approval for Thailand to set up a consulate in Qingdao in 2014. It will deal with Thai international affairs in Shandong province. Thailand will become the third country to have set up a consulate after South Korea and Japan.

Its establishment will further promote communication and cooperation between Shandong and Thailand, and will also be convenient for Shandong residents wishing to visit Thailand.

Qingdao used to be one of the cities where many foreign consulates had been set up. Since the US first set up its consulate in Qingdao in 1906, 14 countries including the UK, Russia, Japan, Germany, France, and Finland set up their consulates, and foreign representative offices in Qingdao before 1949 when the People's Republic of China was founded.