So Much for “China-Malaysia Friendship Year”

China is in the position of having to rely on an investigation and initially less than forthright communications from a smaller neighboring state after the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. Most of the passengers on the flight were Chinese, and China is frustrated. The year “2014 was supposed to be a time to celebrate the strong ties between China and Malaysia,” reports Bruce Einhorn for BloombergBusinessweek. So far, many in China have refused to accept the theory of an accident or believe the challenges of searching for an aircraft in the rough Indian Ocean. Instead, Chinese protesters dwell on conspiracy theories, suspecting Malaysians of deliberate murder and lies, and their leaders join them to come up with a series of demands. The incident is fraying relations, as Chinese tourists rethink traveling to Malaysia and threaten boycotts. Malaysia has to reconsider allowing Chinese economic expansion within its borders. Meanwhile, Japanese leaders express understanding for the challenges of a difficult search faced by Malaysia. – YaleGlobal