Mahmoud Mohamed-Tripoli

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing on Tuesday called on the internationally-recognized Libyan government of government to provide evidence that the UAE is using Chinese-made planes to bomb Tripoli, as part of its support for retired Major General Khalifa Hifter's forces in its campaign against the Libyan capital.

This came during a meeting between the Undersecretary of Political Affairs of the Government of Concord, Lotfi Al-Maghribi, with Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister, Chen Xiaodong, in Beijing, according to a statement of the Libyan Foreign Ministry.

The Libyan Foreign Ministry said that Morocco called on the Chinese government to take a position on the use of Hifter forces drones made in China in its aggression against Tripoli.

Hifter's forces use the Winglong drones, which are manufactured by the Chinese company Chengdu.

UAE support
The website "Defense News" specialized in military affairs that the Chinese drones used by Hifter forces supported by the UAE Hifter to overthrow the government of reconciliation.

China is reported to have sold Winglong aircraft to Egypt and the UAE in deals worth an estimated $ 3 million and $ 5 million.

On August 3, Wefaq government forces announced the downing of a drone that was preparing to launch attacks on Misrata in northern Libya.

At various times, Wefaq forces found the remains of Chinese-made LG 7 air-to-surface missiles in Tripoli, which could be loaded onto the wing of the drone Wing Long.

Al-Wefaq forces also showed photographs of Chinese-made laser-guided missiles and drones when Hifter's forces were expelled from the city of Gharyan and took control at the end of June.

Libya's Tabawi Congress accused the United Arab Emirates of killing more than 40 Tabu civilians in the southern city of Murzuq after an attack on a Chinese-made drones in August.

UN experts have confirmed that the UAE and Egypt have armed Hifter's forces since 2014, and UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salameh revealed earlier this week to the Security Council that Hifter's forces have carried out more than 800 drone attacks since the start of the military campaign against Tripoli.

The chairman of the Security Committee and member of the Supreme State Council in Libya, Belkacem Dabras, that China has interests that can not be ignored in Libya, where it operates in several economic sectors, stressing that huge projects are still stalled due to the security situation and the inability of Chinese companies to return to the country.

"We have proved beyond doubt that there are sophisticated weapons in Libya originating in China - including weapons and drones used in the war on Tripoli - financed by the UAE's Hifter."

Dabbar asserts that the Wefaq government will provide all indications to China on the use of Chinese weapons Hifter if Beijing is really serious in pursuing the UAE, which funded Hifter these Chinese aircraft and weapons and supported the coup against the legitimate government and targeted civilians, in clear violation of the terms of the contract between the two countries, as he put it. .

The Chinese role is growing in Africa, especially in the economic sphere, he said, noting that the reconciliation government is looking forward to fair cooperation and partnership with Beijing.

Easy task
The military expert, Adel Abdul Kafi, to prove that some of the weapons used in the campaign against Tripoli, China is easy, through the serial number on each missile or aircraft or fragments of fragments found by the forces of the government of reconciliation.

Abdul-Kafi said the Wefaq government should communicate diplomatically with China and provide sufficient information on sophisticated Chinese weapons found in Libya to pursue the UAE internationally for Hifter's crimes.

Abdul-Kafi said that China's approach differs from the Western and Russian approaches, as Beijing infiltrates through the economy gate of any country in its efforts to establish strong economic partnerships with North African countries.

Political analyst Ismail al-Muhayshi believes that China's project in Africa is an economic project of excellence, noting that Beijing will not take sides in the Libyan conflict.

"The purchase of Chinese drones by the UAE is easier and faster, while buying drones from America takes a long time and is conditional," he said.

He stressed that despite the existence of Chinese weapons in Hifter's forces, this does not mean that China supports him in his violations against civilians in the Libyan west.