BEIJING - China hopes an approaching United Nations meeting about Libya can prompt international actors to reach an immediate cease-fire and solve the Libyan crisis by political means, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

Hong Lei, a foreign ministry spokesman, said Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Zhai Jun will lead a delegation to the meeting on the current troubles in Libya, which was proposed by the African Union (AU) and is to be held by the UN Security Council in New York on Wednesday.

"China will support the AU's proposal to solve these issues by political measures," he said. "We hope this meeting can help the international community reach a consensus on coming to an immediate cease-fire and adopting a political solution to the Libyan issue as early as possible."

The AU will send a senior delegation to meet members of the Security Council.

Earlier on Monday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed African states to call for the resignation of the Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi and to take tougher action against the Libyan government.

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Seeking to wrest support from a leader who has helped them in the past, Clinton encouraged African states to expel Gadhafi's diplomats and increase their support for opponents of his reign. She said the countries' words and actions can help to bring peace to Libya.

"I urge all African states to call for a genuine cease-fire and to call for Gadhafi to step aside," she said during a visit to the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

She called on the countries "to suspend the operations of Gadhafi's embassies in your countries, to expel pro-Gadhafi diplomats" and to increase their support for the National Transitional Council, a government body established to lead Libya should Gadhafi fall.

"Your words and your actions could make the difference in bringing this situation to a close and allowing the people of Libya ... to get to work writing a constitution and rebuilding their country," she said.

On the third and last leg of an Africa tour that has taken her to Zambia and Tanzania, Clinton said the world needs the AU to be in a position of leadership.

She said the AU can help guide Libya through a transition to a new government, one that offers democracy, economic opportunities and security.

Fan Jishe, with the China Academy of Social Sciences, said the US has been concentrating most of its attention lately on domestic debates and so has hesitated to decide what should be done in Libya. Its preferences, though, are becoming apparent now.

"It hopes to resolve the current crisis by alternative means, rather than by direct military intervention," he said.

"This is a lesson drawn from the Iraq war, seen in the light of the difficulties encountered in rebuilding that country, and from the economic downturn, which has lessened power of the US."

Fan noted that various countries have opened communications on their own with the National Transitional Council, while saying that Clinton's words will not directly cause African countries to do the same.

"African countries will make their choice by evaluating their interests and future relationship with Libya."

Senegal and Gambia are the only African states to recognize the National Transitional Council as the legitimate interlocutor of the Libyan people, as do the United States, Britain, Australia, France, Italy, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

China Daily-AFP