China has backed a fresh search for the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 that disappeared 11 years ago.
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The Boeing 777 aircraft which was bound for Beijing disappeared from the radar screens two hours after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014 with 239 people on board, including more than 150 Chinese nationals.
Malaysian transport minister Anthony Loke said on Tuesday that the deep-sea exploration company Ocean Infinity, which carried out an earlier unsuccessful search in 2018, had resumed the search for the plane.
The revived search will focus on four “hotspots” within a 15,000 sq km (5,800 sq miles) area some 1,500km west of Perth in Western Australia, according to media reports.
Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Wednesday that China “appreciated” the Malaysian government’s commitment to searching for the plane.
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“China is willing to continue maintaining close communication and cooperation with Malaysia, actively and properly handling subsequent matters, and safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese passengers’ families,” Lin said.