As Libya rolls on toward its new destiny without former leader Muammar Gaddafi, the legitimacy of the National Transitional Council (NTC) is no longer in doubt.

The United Nations has put its full force behind Libya's former rebels, with the news that the NTC has occupied their nation's seat at the world body and that certain sanctions imposed on the previous government will be lifted.

The UN General Assembly vote of 114 nations to 17, with 15 abstentions, is a clear indication that the world is eager to get Libya's economy moving and peace restored to the battered state.

China is one of the nations backing the NTC, recognizing the Council as the country's ruling authority.

The period being entered now is crucial for Libya and much is being made of political analysts debating whether the next step in the journey toward recovery will be better served by a multilateral cooperation or unilateral approach spearheaded by a handful of Western nations.

China is of the firm opinion that reconstructing Libya must be done through the UN as it was the UN which backed NATO's intervention in the first place, and has promised to play an active role during post-war reconstruction in Libya.

The NTC has openly said that those allies (Britain and France) who helped remove Gaddafi will receive "preferential" treatment when it came to Libya's economic interests.

For China this is not a big deal, as the NTC has confirmed it will honor any international deals and contracts that were previously agreed to by the former Libyan government. This message sends a strong signal to the international community, as it provides confidence in foreign investors to continue reliable and stable cooperation with Libya.

China was never a major oil importer from Libya, shipping about 150,000 barrels a day last year making it only the 11th biggest importer.

Where China does have interests are in infrastructure projects connected to oil and natural gas. The confirmation by the NTC of upholding previous agreements means that China can be assured of its former operations and become an even more vital part of getting Libya's vast oil reserves to flow again.

To help those reserves flow and ensure a smooth transition to a new government in Libya it is vital for the NTC to be recognized by the African Union (AU), who had previously shunned the Council. AU members had openly disagreed amongst themselves about be pro or anti NTC and generally bucked international opinion.

Leading the charge against recognition of the NTC were South Africa, Uganda, the Republic of the Congo, Mauritania and Mali, a group who had attempted to seek a negotiated settlement between Gaddafi and the NTC.

In mid-September at a meeting in South Africa, however, the AU recognized the NTC as the legitimate government in Libya with the condition that it formed an all-inclusive government. The statement from the meeting made clear that the NTC committed to include members of Gaddafi's government in its transitional government.

With the UN poised to play a leading role in the next phase of Libya's evolution and the AU now moving in step with international opinion, albeit with conditions, it is hoped that the country can make rapid strides in post-war reconstruction and the Libyan people can share in the economic interests of their country.

The Editor