China closely watches recovery of Boeing debris: spokesman

BEIJING - China is closely observing the situation regarding the airplane wreckage perhaps related to missing flight MH370, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Thursday.

A piece of wing of a Boeing 777 was found on a beach of Reunion Island in the southern Indian Ocean on Wednesday. U.S. investigators concluded that it came from a Boeing 777 airplane, raising the odds that it belongs to MH370, U.S. media reported.

"We have noticed the reports and are wasting no time in obtaining and checking the information," Hong said in a press release.

According to French media, the debris, about 9 feet (2.7 meters) long and 3 feet (0.9 meter) wide, was found by people cleaning the beach. A witness described it as "encrusted with shells."

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 airplane MH370 vanished with 239 people on board in March 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, China. More than 150 are Chinese citizens.