India has turned down China's request to enter the former's territorial waters in the Andaman Sea to search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane saying that China only intends to conduct military spying in the area.

"There was no need for anybody else to search the area. We don't want Chinese warships sniffing around in the area on the pretext of hunting for the missing jetliner or anti-piracy patrols," Press Trust of India, the country's largest news agency, said.

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Reports said India "politely" rejected the Chinese request to allow People's Liberation Army to enter waters near the Andaman and Nicobar islands. China has deployed four ships, two frigates and a salvage vessel to the Andaman.

The request was made on the heels of China's announcement that it would shift its search efforts westward and focus on the Andaman Sea and waters southwest of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

The People's Liberation Army Navy Spokesman Liang Yang denied that its search efforts was an excuse to conduct military snooping in the area.

Already, four warships and three military aircraft have been sent by India to the Andaman Sea to search for the missing jetliner, according to the Times of India.

Chinese military vessels already are a regular presence in the Indian Ocean's international waters.

Changbaishan, China's largest amphibious landing ship and two destroyers have already conducted a military exercise in the Indian Ocean.

President Xi Jinping expressed optimism over China's intention of pursuing stable bilateral ties with India amid current issues of  territorial disputes in the Himalayas.

"Furthering strategic partnership with India is my historic mission," Xi told India's new Ambassador Ashok Kantha.

Around 238 passengers were onboard the missing jetliner Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, 154 of them Chinese nationals.