Speaking to Malaysian reporters, Chinese Ambassador Huang Huikang called some of the relatives' viewpoints "radical," "extreme," "somewhat irresponsible" and not representative of China's view. He emphatically stated Beijing's support for Malaysia's handling of the crisis.
"We never said China was angry about the current situation and we never said we were dissatisfied about the progress so far that has been made," Huang said. "We are good friends. We are partners. This is just an incident which will never affect our good relations."
That despair has sometimes turned into anger, with family members tossing water bottles at the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing during a rally last week, heckling Malaysian officials as "liars" and staging walk-outs from meetings. Anger has spilled over to the wider public, with celebrities criticising Malaysia and travel companies announcing boycotts of Malaysia Airlines flights.
An American woman whose boyfriend was on the missing plane said the way some Chinese relatives were campaigning was not helpful.
Sarah Bajc, an expatriate teacher, said pressuring Malaysia to devote staffers and resources to the Chinese relatives "is like having baby sitters for a bunch of spoiled brats throwing a tantrum."
"All the Chinese are doing is hurting themselves," she said. "They're interfering with the investigation. They're losing face. They're losing confidence in front of the world's eyes."
