China said Monday that it respects the choices of the people of Libya after the war-torn country's opposition forces announced they had taken control of the capital of Tripoli.

"We have noticed recent changes in the Libyan situation and we respect the Libyan people's choice," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu when responding to a question on the civil war in Libya.

Earlier, a senior official from the National Transitional Council (NTC) said that opposition forces controlled the entire capital.

"(We) hope that the Libyan situation will stabilize at an early date so that people there can live a normal life," he said.

"China is ready to cooperate with the international community to play a proactive role in the reconstruction of Libya in the future," he added.