Whenever Chinese officials note that China is a developing country, my Western colleagues would always question this definition by pointing out that China is already the second largest economy in the world. They are right, but only partially.

They often overlook some important elements such as that China lags far behind the developed world in terms of science and technology, and that much of the country is still rural and poor.

The recent unsatisfactory performance of Chinese media in their coverage of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 is another case in point.

The weakness of Chinese media was highlighted by the in-depth and substantive report in Western media.

CNN covered an exclusive story of the Interpol officials proving that fake passports were involved in the missing plane story.

The Wall Street Journal dug deep to secure critical data from the engine maker Rolls-Royce.

And The New York Times gave the definite report that the plane turned west in a change of its planned course.

Compared to their Western counterparts, Chinese media on the whole merely recycled official press conferences.

They sent reporters down to Malaysia, but somehow failed to produce any pieces of critical information.

Instead, the Chinese media quoted reports from their foreign counterparts extensively to update their audience and readers on the mysterious disappearance.

No one disputes that the reports by the Western media demonstrated a high degree of professionalism. For Chinese media, professionalism remains a dream for many journalists, despite the rapid growth of the media over the past couple of decades.

Chinese journalists' individual networks in certain fields are often patchy at best, and their ability to do investigative reporting is limited.

Another critical factor is that the plane was manufactured by Boeing Company, the engine by Rolls-Royce, and the Interpol headquarters is located in Vienna. Western reporters enjoy easier access to companies and institutes than their Chinese colleagues.

There's also a language barrier for most Chinese reporters in covering international events taking place outside China. Like it or not, English is the lingua franca in today's world. If your English proficiency is not up to international levels, it's a struggle just to book a hotel or order from a menu, let alone gather information in an effective way.

Of course, the missing jet story itself is an unprecedented challenging task for any media to cope with. No wonder one Guardian article has complained that "Journalism exists to provide information. But what's really compelling is a lack of information" regarding the Malaysian plane coverage.

As it has proven to be a headache even for the mature and established Western media outlets to cover the search for elusive airplane, it shouldn't be surprising to see the Chinese media struggling to report the event.

There have been many criticisms about the performance of Chinese media, such as the lack of veteran reporters with expertise in particular fields. Some say that in a time when professionalism is only in its infancy, traditional media has already been sabotaged ruthlessly by new media. Others called the performance of Chinese media a debacle.

There are various explanations for the poor performance by the Chinese media. But all seem to agree that this serves as a wake-up call for Chinese news organizations on how to build a vibrant and strong media.

A mature and vigorous news media benefits not only the public, but also the construction of China's soft power in the sense of better presenting the country to the outside world.

Xu Qinduo, a commentator on current affairs with China Radio International

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