中国：失联班机中国乘客与恐怖主义无关联

China said Tuesday none of the Chinese passengers aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines airliner appear to have links to terrorism, as the massive, multinational search for the jet expanded further.

The official Xinhua news agency quoted China's ambassador to Malaysia (Huang Huikang) as saying the determination was made following background checks on all passengers from the mainland. About two-thirds of the 227 passengers on board the jet were Chinese.

The ambassador also said China has begun looking for the Boeing 777 "in the territory along the northern corridor" of the search area.

The plane appears to have flown either north toward Central Asia or south, deeper into the vast Indian Ocean after it mysteriously vanished on March 8. Investigators believe the jet may have been deliberately diverted from its initial flight path from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The New York Times is reporting the plane's intended route appears to have been altered by a computer system mostly likely programmed by someone in the cockpit with knowledge of advanced aircraft systems.

Speaking anonymously, U.S. officials told the Times the development reinforces the theory that foul play is involved and will likely increase scrutiny of the plane's pilot and co-pilot.中国表示，马来西亚失联班机上的任何一名中国乘客看来都与恐怖主义没有关联。目前多个国家正在进一步扩大搜寻失联班机的范围。

中国驻马来西亚大使黄惠康星期二说，对失联班机上154名中国大陆乘客全部进行背景调查后，得出了以上结论。

黄惠康还表示，中国方面已经开始在搜寻区域的北部走廊一带寻找这架波音777客机以及239名乘客和机组人员。

这架班机3月8日神秘失踪后，看来或者向北飞往中亚，或者向南飞向印度洋。调查人员相信，这架班机可能是故意偏离从吉隆坡飞往北京的预定航线。

据纽约时报报道，这架班机的预定航线被一个电脑系统做了改变，而最大可能是具备尖端飞机系统知识的人在驾驶舱内操纵电脑程序改变航线。

未透露姓名的美国官员对纽约时报说，事态的发展加强了有关班机失踪涉及非法行为的推论，由此很可能加强对机长和副机长的调查。