BEIJING - The Foreign Ministry on Sunday expressed regret over the multinational military strike against Libya, saying that it did not agree with resorting to force in international relations.

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"China has noticed the latest developments in Libya and regrets the military strike against Libya," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.

China, as it has always done, disagrees with the use of force in international relations, Jiang said, when asked to comment on the strike carried out by multinational forces early on Sunday.

China believes that the tenet and principles of the United Nations Charter and relevant international laws should be adhered to, and Libya's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity should be respected, she said.

In a statement posted on the ministry's website, Jiang said: "We hope stability can be restored in Libya as soon as possible so as to avoid more civilian casualties caused by the escalation of military conflict."

China was among five countries that abstained from Thursday's vote on the UN resolution to allow "all necessary measures" - a term for military action - to authorize a no-fly zone and protect Libyan rebels from Muammar Gadhafi's forces.

Earlier this week, China had strongly repeated its reservations about the UN authorizing military action.

Xinhua - China Daily