The UK has officially recognized the main Libyan opposition group as the legitimate government of the country, and instructed all diplomats belonging to Col. Muammar Qaddafi’s administration to leave Britain. Foreign Secretary William Hague on Wednesday announced that the UK would freeze $150m worth of Libya’s oil assets to assist the National Transitional Council (NTC), which the country recognizes as “the sole governmental authority in Libya”. Meanwhile, Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Karim told reporters in Tripoli that the UK’s decision to recognize the NTC was “irresponsible, illegal and in violation of British and international laws.”

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Libyan opposition members on Thursday vowed to strengthen relations with China and protect its business interests in the region they control, during meeting with a senior Chinese envoy in Benghazi. Chen Xiaodong, the director general of North African and West Asian Affairs at China’s Foreign Ministry, met officials of the National Transition Council, including the NTC executive office’s deputy head Ali Essawi. Chen stressed the need for restoring peace in the country as soon as possible and announced support for the mediation proposals put forward by global bodies like the African Union. This is the fourth time the two sides have met during the past month.

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