Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has announced that the flight of the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft "ended in southern Indian Ocean", but the mystery is still to be uncovered. As a Chinese, I will never forget the efforts our Vietnamese friends made to try and find the missing crew and passengers.

Reportedly, the cost of the daily searches by Vietnamese military airplanes and ships was about 20 billion Vietnamese dong ($948,767). Such selfless help reflected not only the humanitarian spirit of the Vietnamese, but also its friendship with Malaysia and China.

The friendship between China and Vietnam has a long history. Although the brief border war in late 1970s and the ongoing South China Sea dispute are discordant notes, the foundation of our bilateral diplomatic and economic ties has always been strong.

It is not surprising that neighbors sometimes quarrel with each other, however, as long as we cherish the valuable friendship, we can always find a peaceful and win-win solution.

Sun Xi, via e-mail

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