Malaysia's handling of lost plane irritates China

Yet despite such incentives for cooperation, countries from Vietnam to Australia are uneasy about China's ambitions, which have hampered its efforts to acquire influence.

Beijing has resorted to taking the unusual step of publicly haranguing Malaysia's government, a sign that whatever pressure it is applying in private is failing to produce results.

After Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Saturday that the Boeing 777 might have flown beyond the current search area, Beijing reacted with fury, a sign that the announcement took it by surprise.

A deputy Chinese foreign minister demanded “more thorough and accurate information” about the new search area.

A stinging commentary by China's official Xinhua News Agency accused Malaysia and the United States of dragging their feet.

“Given today's technology, the delay smacks of either dereliction of duty or reluctance to share information in a full and timely manner,” Xinhua said. It said Malaysia “bears inescapable responsibility.”