Beijing (ANTARA News/Reuters) - China has officially recognised the Libyan rebels` National Transitional Council as the "ruling authority and representative of the Libyan people", the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.

The brief announcement ended weeks of uncertainty about when Beijing would formally embrace the rebel forces that have overwhelmed Muammar Gaddafi`s beleaguered supporters as the legitimate rulers of Libya.

China had been one of the few countries to withhold recognition from the rebels. (*)

Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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