China cautions against Western intervention

China on Friday called for an “inclusive political transition” to begin in Libya following the death of Qadhafi, but reiterated its unease over Western-backed interventions in the Arab world as calls grow for action against Yemen.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said “a new page has been turned in the history of Libya”, stressing that China would “continue supporting the Libyan people's efforts to recover and reconstruct their country.”

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu underlined China's concerns over instability in Libya following the former leader's death, calling for the new transitional government to “accommodate concerns and interests of different factions and uphold national solidarity and reunification.”

China's State media on Friday reacted cautiously to news of Qadhafi's death, warning of dangers to stability and the limitations of democratic systems.

“Democracy will be further regarded as the general trend accepted by various regimes,” said the Communist Party-run Global Times in an editorial on the demise of the former Libyan leader, cautioning that “the deficiencies and side effects of democracy, and the difficult course of restructuring, have been seen in the democratisation process throughout the Middle East [West Asia].”

“The worship of democracy is retreating worldwide, as it has been replaced by a reflection of the system,” the paper said. “Democracy is the opposite of individual authoritarianism. However, democracy is not limited only to the process of a one-person, one-vote system. But in many countries, this format has generated a mess similar to that generated by authoritarian rule.”