BEIJING - China has always respected the Libyan people's choice and China-Libya relations will continue to develop steadily on a new basis, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Friday.

Spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a daily press briefing that China has maintained a normal diplomatic relationship with Libya and that China-Libya cooperation has always been carried out on the basis of mutual respect and equal benefit.

"China unswervingly respects the Libyan people's choice and the important position of Libya's National Transitional Council in solving problems," Jiang said.

"We hope Libya will establish an inclusive political transition process as early as possible to safeguard Libyan national solidarity and unity," she said, adding that China will continue supporting the Libyan people's efforts to recover and reconstruct their country.

Earlier on Friday when commenting former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's death on Thursday, Jiang said Libya has turned a new page on its history.

The Chinese Embassy in Libya operates smoothly and China maintains normal communication with relevant parties of Libya, she said at the press briefing.

Jiang said that China has long held an objective and impartial stance with no private interests regarding the Libyan situation. China has always appealed for a stop to armed conflict, preferring to solve problems in a peaceful way through dialogues, she said.

China gave consideration from the perspective of respecting Libyan's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as hearing the voice of Arabian and African countries, during a discussion with the UN Security Council regarding Libya, Jiang said.

She also noted at the briefing that China has kept close contact with countries and organizations in the Middle East and Africa and made constructive contributions toward solving the Libyan issue.