THE HAGUE, March 25 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered here Monday to send a special envoy to Kuala Lumpur to deal with the matter of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

Xi, who was in The Hague for the third Nuclear Security Summit, has been closely following the search and rescue mission for the ill-fated flight, which disappeared early March 8 with 239 people on board, including 154 Chinese passengers.

In view of the latest developments, Xi instructed that a special envoy be sent to Kuala Lumpur to consult with the Malaysian side, learn about the situation, and ask the Malaysian side to properly handle related issues.

The president also ordered relevant Chinese agencies to help Malaysia and all other parties involved carry on the search operations and make proper arrangements for all aspects of the matter.

The special envoy, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui, will leave for Malaysia as soon as possible