JAKARTA, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese ambassador to Indonesia Xie Feng on Saturday expressed hope that Chinese rescuers could cooperate closely with the Indonesian side and make their contribution to the search for bodies of passengers and especially the black boxes of the crashed AirAsia plane.

The Chinese rescuers aboard the Chinese search and rescue vessel Nanhaijiu 101 arrived hours before the tail of the ill- fated AirAsia flight QZ8501 were lifted up Saturday afternoon, four days after a group of three Chinese specialists from the Civil Aviation Administration of China came to the country to help the search for black boxes

"Progress has been made in the search operation, but the task ahead remains challenging as the black boxes which are crucial for the investigation into the cause of the plane crash, are yet to be found," said Xie in a phone conversation with the rescuers.

The Nanhaijiu 101 arrived at the waters in the early hours of Saturday after days of voyage.

The Chinese vessel set off for the Indonesian waters in immediate response to the urgent request from the Indonesian side, reflecting the great importance Chinese leaders attached to assisting the Indonesian side in the search operation and the sincere friendship of the Chinese people to the Indonesia people, he added.

Zhang Guiping, commander of the Nanhaijiu 101, said on behalf of the crew members that they are confident in their ability to help the Indonesian side in carrying out the search and rescue operation, according to the sources with the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta.

The ambassador also made a phone call on Saturday to the three Chinese experts and expressed his respect and gratitude for their hard work over the recent days.