I think legitimacy is a key issue here. China and Russia have both gone along with an arms embargo and financial sanctions as well as referral to the international criminal court, but have expressed strong skepticism about going further. That said the Chinese position doesn't seem to be vehement:
Li Baodong, China’s ambassador to the United Nations, emphasized the need for diplomacy to resolve the crisis, and respect for Libya’s territorial integrity, Bloomberg reported.
“We believe that this political crisis should be resolved through peaceful means such as dialogue,” Li told reporters at the U.N. in New York, according to Bloomberg. “We respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Libya.”
Li said China would “heed and respect the opinions and positions of Arab countries and African countries.”
That same article by the Ann Simmons also notes that that the Arab League is discussing the possibility of a no fly zone in combination with the African Union. That seems like the most likely way to establish legitimacy. On the whole, multilateral diplomacy seems to be bringing an increasing number of assets to bear. This isn't to downplay the fact that people are being killed but the past ten year experience shows fairly definitively that simply removing a dictator doesn't necessarily get you to a peaceful country. Ultimately, I think the Libyan opposition forces, together with their defected diplomats, should work on making the positive case for their movement and showing that they'll be capable of healing their country. Their military work has been impressive but there's hard political work ahead. While waiting is frustrating, I think there is an opportunity here for the opposition to truly become a transition government.
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