Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China will not stop the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 that vanished one year ago.

Wang added that the Chinese government will keep providing whatever help it can provide to families and relatives of those who were on board the missing plane.

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Of the 227 passengers onboard, 152 were Chinese citizens, including a gruop of 19 artists with six family members and four staff returning from a calligraphy exhibition of their work in Kuala Lumpur.

"The search for MH370 will continue," Minister Wang said on the sidelines of an annual meeting of China's parliament.

"Today must be a tough day for the family members of those onboard... our hearts are with you," he added.

Wang issued the statement about China's continued efforts to search for the missing plane just a few days after the deputy prime minister of Australia said the search for the plane could not go on forever.

"We clearly cannot keep searching forever, but we want to do everything that's reasonably possible to locate the aircraft," said Australia's deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said.

Aside from stating that China will continue with the search, Wang added that the Chinese government will provide all necessary assistance and services to each family of those onboard the plane.

"We will help you uphold legitimate interests and lawful rights," he said.

Malaysian Airlines has already started compensation work for family members, Wang added.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was a scheduled international passenger flight that disappeared on 8 March 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China.

Flight 370 last made voice contact with air traffic control at 01:19 when it was over the South China Sea, less than an hour after takeoff.

A multinational search effort began in the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, where the flight's signal was lost on secondary surveillance radar, and was soon extended to the Strait of Malacca and Andaman Sea.

Analysis of satellite communications between the aircraft and Inmarsat's satellite communications network concluded that the flight continued until at least 08:19 and flew south into the southern Indian Ocean, although the precise location cannot be determined.

Australia took charge of the search effort on 17 March, when the search shifted to the southern Indian Ocean.

Tagsmh370, Malaysia Airline, Missing Malaysian Airline