China confirms contact made with Libyan opposition

The announcement on Friday appears to mark a change of tactics for China, although the ministry’s statement said Beijing remained hopeful that Libyans themselves could find a political solution to the conflict.

Mustafa Abdul Jalil, chief of Libya's Transitional National Council. File photo: AP.

China’s Foreign Ministry says its ambassador to Qatar recently met with the head of Libya’s rebel council.

The announcement on Friday appears to mark a change of tactics for China, although the ministry’s statement said Beijing remained hopeful that Libyans themselves could find a political solution to the conflict.

Beijing abstained in the United Nations Security Council vote authorizing the use of force against Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi’s loyalists and has repeatedly criticized the NATO bombing campaign in support of the rebels.

The statement said Zhang Zhiliang exchanged views on the Libyan situation with the chairman of the rebels’ National Transitional Council Mustafa Abdul—Jalil but gave no details.