Beijing announced on Monday that it will send aircraft and rescue ships to join the search and rescue for the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501.

"After consultations with the Indonesian government, the Chinese government has decided to send aircraft and vessels to search for the missing AirAsia flight," the defence ministry said in a statement released last night.

Chinese rescue ships Hai Xun 31, Nan Hai Jiu 101 and Nan Hai Jiu 115, which have been taking part in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, are already on 24-hour standby to join in the search and rescue, according to the emergency conference at China Maritime Search and Rescue Center last night.

China Maritime Search and Rescue Center has already established contact with Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency, and the three Chinese rescue ships are going through the procedures for departure and equipping relevant charts, scanning facilities and supplements.

Currently, at least 30 ships and 50 aircraft have joined the search for the missing flight QZ8501, according to Indonesian vice-president, Jusuf Kalla.

The Airbus A320-200 vanished from radar screens on Sunday morning with 162 people (seven crew members and 155 passengers) on board as it approached violent weather about 40 minutes into a two-hour flight between Surabaya in east Java, Indonesia and Singapore.

MH370, which disappeared during a Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight on 8 March, remains missing.