Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (right) shakes hands with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during their meeting on the sidelines of a series of regional summits in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Nov 21, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

KUALA LUMPUR - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced Saturday that his country will offer 20 million Australian dollars (about $14.5 million) to help continue the multinational search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

Li made the announcement in a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on the sidelines of a series of regional summits.

China, in the spirit of maximum respect for people, hopes Malaysia and Australia could continue to maintain effective communication with China over the search of the jetliner, the Chinese premier said.

The flight, a Boeing 777-200, disappeared on March 8, 2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with a total of 239 passengers on board, most of them Chinese.

The Malaysian government confirmed in August that an aircraft flapron found on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion belonged to the missing flight.