BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping met with visiting Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott Friday afternoon at the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing.

Xi expressed gratitude for Australia's search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, adding that China will continue searching for the flight and stay close communication with the Australian side.

Abbott also expressed gratitude for the immediate assistance that China provided for Australia when the search for MH370 shifted from the northern corridor to the southern corridor in Australia.

"China was the very first country to provide ships for the search, and we've been very grateful for the help," he said.

At a luncheon in Shanghai today, Abbott said he was confident that the signals picked up in the search were from the black box of the missing plane.

The plane disappeared on March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. The flight recorder could help solve the mystery of why the plane veered so far off course. The battery of the black box usually can last for only a month and is expected to die very soon.