China turns to Libya rebels,urges stable transition

We have always attached significance to the important role of the National Transitional Council in solving Libya’s problems,and maintain contact with it,Ma said,referring to the main Libyan rebel group fighting Gaddafi’s shrinking forces in the capital Tripoli.

We hope that the future new government will adopt effective measures,draw together the forces of different factions,and restore social order as quickly as possible,he said,referring to Libya.

Beijing has yet to formally recognise the rebel forces as Libya’s new leaders. But Ma’s comments and a flurry of other official remarks indicated Beijing has decisively abandoned Gaddafi and turned to the rebels likely to take full control of Tripoli soon.

We hope to play an active role in rebuilding Libya in the future,together with the international community,the spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce,Shen Danyang,told a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

China and Russia have a tradition of opposing intervention in sovereign states,even when Western governments favour military action on humanitarian grounds.

But Beijing had been stepping up engagement with Libyan rebel leaders in recent months,even as it said those meetings were a part of an effort to encourage a negotiated end to the six-month old war.

China is the world’s second-biggest oil consumer,and last year obtained 3 percent of its imported crude from Libya.

China’s official Xinhua news agency cautioned in a commentary against too much optimism.

“Gaddafi’s era is over,no matter what his personal end game is. But don’t be optimistic too soon,” it wrote.