MH370 crash: China demands Malaysia provide satellite data

Beijing: China has demanded that Malaysia provide satellite data which led to its judgement that flight MH370 ended in the Indian Ocean. “We demand the Malaysian side to make clear the specific basis on which they come to this judgement,” Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Xie Hangsheng said in Beijing last night during an urgent meeting with Malaysian Ambassador Datuk Iskandar Bin Sarudin.  He demanded the Malaysian side to provide all information and evidence related to the analysis of satellite data. Xie urged Malaysia to continue all the relevant work including search and rescue for the missing plane, which carried 239 people. Xie said China pays great attention to Malaysia’s announcement that the missing plane ended in the Indian Ocean. “We have noticed that the Malaysian side said it will make further elaboration on related details,” Xie said. Xie emphasized that the search and rescue work must not stop at the moment. China will send more vessels to the waters of the southern Indian Ocean to search and salvage wreckage of Malaysia Airline MH370, Chinese maritime authorities said late last night. China has already sent some six vessels to the area where two Chinese IL-76 aircraft are scouring the rough seas for the missing plane that carried 154 Chinese passengers. On Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said that new analysis of satellite data suggested that the missing plane “ended” in the southern Indian Ocean. The plane went missing about one hour after takeoff from Kuala Lampur en route to Beijing on 8 March. PTI