China boosts support for Libya’s rebels

China's foreign minister met in Beijing with the leader of Libya's opposition Wednesday in the latest in a series of steps to forge a closer relationship with the Libyan opposition.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said after the meeting with rebel leader Mahmoud Jibril that the Libyan opposition “has been increasingly representing the Libyan people and has gradually become an important political force in Libya," as reported by the New York Times.

The rebels hailed the visit as a "great victory," the Financial Times reports.

“We know that China is not very interested in world revolutions, but this gesture is a strong signal that the Libyans have made great achievements and that the [Muammar] Gaddafi regime will end soon,” Muhammad Nasr, member of the Libyan National Transition Council, reportedly said.

(From GlobalPost: James Foley recalls his captivity under Gaddafi)

China's efforts to show its support for the Libyan opposition are in sharp contrast to how it has dealt with international conflicts and repressive regimes in the recent past. China has been known for preaching nonintervention and not getting involved even when a neighboring nation is blatantly committing human rights violations, such as Burma or North Korea.

It has likewise opposed the efforts by the international community to intervene in international affairs and has prevented other countries from putting more pressure on repressive countries like Zimbabwe and Sudan.

In March, China also abstained during the United Nations vote on authorizing NATO to use air strikes to prevent Gaddafi from killing civilians.

Political analysts say the change in attitude may be a result of China's increasing need to import oil.

“It’s unusual for them to negotiate with anyone other than the incumbent government, but clearly China has oil interests,” Ben Simpfendorfer, the managing director of Silk Road Associates, told the New York Times.

Libya's opposition has now agreed to protect Chinese people and assets in rebel-controlled areas, it states.

Meanwhile, Gaddafi lashed out at NATO forces calling them "murderers" for killing civilians during recent air strikes.

"We will resist and the battle will continue to the beyond, until you're wiped out. But we will not be finished," Gaddafi said in a televised audio message Wednesday night, as reported by Al Jazeera.

"You said, 'we hit our targets with precision,' you murderers," he continued. "One day we will respond to you likewise and your homes will be legitimate targets."

Gaddafi called NATO's operation a "crusade" against a Muslim country and vowed to never give up.

As concerns grow about civilian casualties in Libya, the Italian foreign minister on Wednesday called for a halt to NATO military action there to allow humanitarian aid access. France and Britain rejected the proposal.