BEIJING - China regards Libya's opposition National Transitional Council (NTC) as "an important dialogue partner" as it hosted the first visit of the country's opposition leader to Beijing.

"Since its creation, the NTC has increased its representativeness and gradually become a major political power. China sees it as an important dialogue partner," Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said in a meeting with Mahmoud Jibril, chairman of the NTC Executive Board, on Wednesday.

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Jibril kicked off his two-day China visit on Tuesday. He is the first Libyan opposition leader to come to China since the crisis erupted in February.

Yang expressed concern over the crisis in Libya, saying that the Libyan people have suffered to the fullest extent the chaos caused by war.

He urged both sides in the conflict to consider and respond to mediating proposals from the international community, and reach an immediate ceasefire and a political solution.

"We hope the two sides in the Libyan conflict ... truly give peace a chance," he said.

Yang added that the Libyan issue is essentially an internal affair and the future of Libya should be determined by the Libyan people.

"China on this issue is not seeking any private interest," he added.

Jibril said the NTC appreciated China's stance on Libyan issue and its positive role in trying to resolve the crisis.

He added that necessary measures would be taken to ensure the security of Chinese citizens and Chinese companies' assets in the area that the NTC controls.

The possibility of peace talks between two sides depends on whether the expectations of various sides can be met, said Ma Xiaolin, a Beijing-based commentator on international affairs.

"Opposition toughness over Muammar Gadhafi's departure still poses a major obstacle to dialogue between the two sides," he said.

"So China's contact with the opposition and its mediation efforts in a bilateral or multilateral framework play a crucial role."

He added that the NATO air strikes had "gone beyond United Nations' authorization" and were a "stumbling block to dialogue".

Two top US senators on Tuesday unveiled a resolution giving US President Barack Obama limited authority in the three-month-old war against Libya, warning that the drastic step of cutting off funds for the military operation would be a lifeline to a weakened Gadhafi.

The measure is a clear counter to efforts in the House to prohibit spending and effectively end the operation, which is a reflection of the growing Republican and Democratic anger toward Obama and his treatment of Congress.

AP contributed to this story.