China recognised the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) as Libya's "ruling authority", the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday, saying the Council had vowed to respect Beijing's interests after tensions between the two sides. The announcement on the ministry's website (www.mfa.gov.cn) ended weeks of uncertainty about when Beijing would formally embrace the rebel forces who have overwhelmed Muammar Qadhafi's beleaguered supporters.
China had been, along with Russia, one of the few major countries to withhold recognition from the rebels, and Beijing's relations with the new ruling NTC were further strained by revelations that Chinese state-owned arms companies talked with Qadhafi's representatives about weapons sales. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu sought to put all that in the past when he announced his government's decision to recognise the NTC.
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