China has sent its best rescue vessel and a team of aviation experts to join the Indonesian-led search operation for the black boxes from the ill-fated AirAsia Flight QZ8501.

Responding to a request from Indonesia, the Ministry of Transport sent South Sea Rescue 101, a ship from the ministry's Nanhai Rescue Bureau, to assist with the hunt for Airbus A320-200, which had 162 people onboard, a statement from the ministry said.

The ship left its home port in Haikou, Hainan province, on Monday morning and is expected to arrive at the search site on Friday.