Libyan opposition leader to visit China

BEIJING — China says Libya’s opposition leader will visit this week, further boosting Beijing’s engagement in Libya’s civil war and dealing another setback to dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

China’s Foreign Ministry said in a one-sentence statement posted online Monday that Mustafa Abdel-Jalil would be in China on Tuesday and Wednesday. No other details were immediately available.

Abdel-Jalil chairs the Transitional National Council, the umbrella organization of rebel groups trying to unseat Gadhafi.

China has recently stepped up efforts to persuade the two sides to seek a settlement.