SEPANG, Mar 10 — Chinese officials are supportive of Malaysia’s handling of the search and rescue operation for the missing Malaysia Airline flight MH370, acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said today, amid criticism that local authorities were slow to respond to the crisis.

Addressing a press conference straight after a meeting with Chinese officials, the minister said representatives from the Chinese government were impressed with the Malaysia-led operation.

“Far from it. We had a very long discussion with leaders from the Chinese party and ministries. The ambassador (to Malaysia) made positive comments and he has seen what we have been doing,” he said, responding to a question on mounting unease in China over the missing Boeing 777-200.

His comments came amid reports that China’s state-run media had lashed out at Malaysia and its national carrier, Malaysia Airlines, for not responding quickly enough when the missing flight dropped off the radar at around 1.30am on March 8.

An editorial in the Global Times , a newspaper with close links  to the ruling Chinese Communist Party,  said Malaysia must take the blame for the missing  aircraft  if mechanical breakdown  or pilot error had caused its disappearance. It added that Malaysia’s government must take responsibility if terrorist attacks led to the disappearance of the airliner.

“The Malaysian side cannot shirk its responsibilities. The initial response from Malaysia was not swift enough. There are loopholes in the work of Malaysia Airlines and security authorities,” it said in a heavy handed editorial.

The presence of two people with false papers on board the flight led to editorialising on another paper, China Daily.

“The fact that some of the passengers on board were travelling with false passports should serve as a reminder to the whole world that security can never be too tight, at airports in particular, since terrorism, the evil of the world, is still trying to stain human civilisation with the blood of innocent lives,” it said.

China’s Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, urged  Malaysia to step up search and investigation efforts amid growing concerns over possible security lapses that may have caused the Beijing-bound plane to crash.

Nearly two-thirds of the 239 people aboard MH370 were from China, and if the loss of the aircraft is confirmed, it would be China’s second-worst air disaster in history.

Meanwhile, Hishammuddin today urged the public against spreading rumours and lies about the missing plane, saying they would interfere with rescue work and add to the distress suffered by the families of those on board.

He also could not furnish any updates on the oil sample taken by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) from a large oil slick found 100 nautical miles off Tok Bali in Kelantan yesterday.

Flight MH370 has now been missing for more than two days since it lost contact after departing Kuala Lumpur International Airport for Beijing, China on March 8.

There were 239 people on board, including 12 crew members.