Missing flight MH370 could ease tensions in South China Sea: Global Times

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-03-10

A Chinese search vessel joins efforts to locate missing Malaysia
Airlines flight MH370 on March 9. (Photo/Xinhua)

Missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 could end up easing tensions between China and its neighbors in the South China Sea by initiating a joint counter-terrorism mechanism, reports the Global Times, a tabloid under the auspices of the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily.

The Boeing 777-200 commercial jet, carrying 239 people including 153 Chinese nationals, has been missing since 1:20am Saturday after losing contact with ground control en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Authorities have not ruled out all possibilities, including terrorism, especially after it was revealed that two passengers boarded the plane using stolen passports. Another two individuals have also been classified as suspect identities as the Malaysian government continues to work with international agencies including the FBI, while China has sent anti-terrorism and security experts to assist in the investigation.

A group that calls itself the Chinese Martyrs' Brigade sent a statement on March 9 to various Chinese journalists claiming responsibility for crashing the plane, though so far most media outlets and analysts remain skeptical of its credibility.

Regardless of whether terrorism turns out to be the cause of the crash, some level of multinational counter-terrorism cooperation in the South China Sea, where the plane is presumed to have disappeared, is inevitable, Global Times said. China has already developed a counter-terror cooperation mechanism with Russia that includes sharing intelligence and joint exercises, and this mechanism should be emulated in the South China Sea with Malaysia, Indonesia and other neighboring countries, the paper added.

Since flight MH370 went missing, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and other countries have all put their differences aside to deploy vessels, planes and teams to cooperate in the search and rescue efforts. While tensions in the South China Sea over territorial claims cannot be resolved in the short term, working together hand-in-hand like this will help the countries develop trust and provide a stepping stone to further diplomatic discussions, especially if the abovementioned counter-terrorism cooperation initative is pursued, Global Times said.

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