However, we have to admit navies have many advantages in maritime search and rescue. In 2009, when Air France Flight 447 crashed in the Atantic en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, the Brazilian navy shouldered the task of search and rescue. The fixed-wing aircraft deployed on carriers are equipped with various detection devices and they are able to quickly and efficiently probe the deep oceans, and airborne early warning aircraft can spot very small floating objects.

The Asian-Pacific region is a vast inclusive region where cooperation coexist with confrontation and competition. The US, China and ASEAN countries are able to cooperate to tackle regional challenges, just as what they did in the search mission.

In 2013, China-ASEAN ties were put back on a sound track to mark the 10th anniversary of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership, and China proposed a maritime emergency help line among China and ASEAN countries and a joint maritime search and rescue sandbox. China and ASEAN can't wait any longer to turn these proposals into actions. The "Maritime Silk Road" concept, proposed by President Xi Jinping during his Southeast Asia trip last year, should not be for trade alone, traditional and non-traditional security cooperation should also be highlighted.

Moreover, hopefully after China's participation in the US-led Pacific Rim military exercise in 2014, the military trust deficit in the region will decrease, which will pave way for efficient joint naval research and rescue actions in the future.

In the meantime our thoughts are with the families of the passengers and crew of Flight MH370 as they wait for news of the missing plane.

The author is an editor with China Daily.