BEIJING - China will continue communication and cooperation with Malaysia and Australia, positively support and participate in the new phase of searching for MH370.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang made the comments at a daily press briefing on Monday when asked to respond to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's remarks on Monday.

Abbott said at a press conference that the hunt for missing flight MH370 entered a new phase with the seabed search to be expanded to a much larger area.

Abbott said the new phase would focus on the sea bed in an expanded area, and involve commercial contractors specialized in deep ocean searches. It may take six to eight months if weather conditions permit.

Qin said China welcomes Australia's coordination of the deep ocean search, and called on the international community to continue the hunt.

More than fifty days have passed since the flight disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8. China has deployed 18 naval ships, and coordinated 86 merchant and fishing boats, over an area of about 1.3 million square km. China has also sent search planes and deployed satellites to hunt for MH370.

"It is an unprecedented operation," Qin said.

Australia has surmounted many obstacles to lead the search in the southern Indian Ocean, Qin said, noting that China appreciates assistance to Chinese ships and planes in hunt.