[ventus45]

.....  It still intrigues me why the Chinese have taken a back seat in the ‘ground’ investigation.

....... One theory which has enough merit to warrant discussion is that the Chinese, as pragmatic people with a good intelligence service providing information, perhaps feel unable to waste money on a search effort they believe flawed, from the outset.  

Interesting word that ......... "flawed".

The Chinese were obviously disillusioned early on, and the "grounding" of their IL-76's was probably the last straw for them.

The Chinese do have a good intelligence service - true - very true. Perhaps they determined that the Malaysian/Australian "managed" SIO search was not just "flawed", but fxxxed ?

It is interesting that both Malaysia and Australia clearly telegraphed to the world, back as far as February / March 2015, that they wanted to end the search in May / June 2015, when the 60,000 sq km would have been done.  

It is interesting to note, that it was the Chinese who "forced" the extension of the search at the tripartite meeting in May 2015.

What is more interesting, is that they are not involved in the search at all, any more.

So, it begs the question, what does Chinese Intelligence "know", that the rest of us do not ?
Perhaps the are "rubbing our noses in it", with all to be revealed, in thirty years or so ?