Foreign Minister Anifah Aman confirmed that he had asked China's ambassador to Malaysia to explain his remarks during the envoy's controversial visit to Petaling Street last Friday.

However, Anifah regretted that a couple of ministers had butted into the matter without first consulting him.

In a statement issued in New York, Anifah also clarified that he did not reverse the instruction to summon Ambassador Huang Huikang.

According to the foreign minister, the issue should not be brought to the ministerial level, as it is normal practice for such issues to be dealt with at the level of senior officers at Wisma Putra.

"In fact, this issue could have easily been solved without the interference of other ministers.

"Unfortunately, their interference has caused a negative perception in the eyes of the public. I hope that this incident would not be repeated in the future," Anifah said in a statement issued in New York last night.

Huang was summoned to meet Anifah's former deputy, and now Acting Foreign Minister, Hamzah Zainuddin, yesterday.

However there was much confusion about the meeting, as it was initially reported that it had been cancelled.

Tourism Minister Nazri Aziz said the meeting was called off as Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Naina Merican breached protocol by calling in Huang.

Nazri said only an acting foreign minister can do so, in the absence of the foreign minister.

However, Reezal denied this claim and said the call-in was endorsed by Anifah .

However, Huang has denied that Wisma Putra had called him in, as reported by Sin Chew Daily yesterday.

The Chinese daily also reported that Huang and Hamzah did not talk about Petaling Street during their meet.

Anifah in his statement, said he had discussed the matter with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak before calling in the Chinese ambassador.

He also reiterated that summoning foreign ambassadors is consistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and had been done in Malaysia several times before.

Huang, during his Sept 25 visit to Petaling Street, said China will not intervene in domestic affairs but will not sit idle if China's interests are affected.

His visit on the eve of a rally by a Malay group at the traditionally ethnic Chinese trading area in Kuala Lumpur, which was later-cancelled, is seen by Umno and Perkasa as foreign intervention.