China on Tuesday defended the use of security guards on the Olympic torch relay, described as “thugs” by Lord Coe, chairman of the London 2012 organising committee, after Australia and Japan said they would not be welcome when the flame passed through their countries this month.

“The [torch] escorts are volunteers, they are not law-enforcement personnel. Their duty is to maintain the safety, purity and dignity of the Olympic Games,” China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters. “We hope the relevant countries can fully understand this point and co-operate with us.”