China to Review Arms Sale Policy After Libya Embarrassment

Posted September 6th, 2011 at 6:35 am (UTC-5)
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China said Tuesday that officials will examine whether regulations were violated by arms manufacturers who met in July with envoys from Moammar Gadhafi's then-ruling Libyan government.

Spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Wednesday the government will strengthen its oversight of military exports.

She said relations with the rebel-led provisional government are “smooth” and that China will recognize the National Transitional Council when the time is “ripe.” She did not say when that will be.

China acknowledged a day earlier that aides to Mr. Gadhafi had been in Beijing seeking to buy sophisticated weapons for use against the advancing rebel forces. Documents discovered in Tripoli by a Canadian newspaper indicated that Chinese arms companies offered to sell the Libyans about $200 million worth of weapons.

Jiang maintained for a second day that no weapons were shipped to Libya and that China has fully respected a U.N. embargo on arms sales to the Gadhafi government.

She said authorities responsible for the regulation of military trade will look seriously at any promises made by individuals at the Chinese arms companies.

Members of the NTC have said that Chinese commercial interests could be damaged if state-owned Chinese companies did ship arms to the Gadhafi government. China has billions of dollars invested in Libya's oil sector and had more than 35,000 people working there when the anti-Gadhafi revolt began.

Jiang said China will contribute to Libya's reconstruction and hopes that the NTC will honor China's contracts there.