United Nations, 14 Feb (Xinhua) -- Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said on 14 February that China is willing to work with the international community to continue to make unremitting efforts for the political settlement of the Yemen issue and the maintenance of peace and stability in the Middle East.
Zhang Jun said at the Security Council's open meeting on Yemen that for some time, the parties concerned have maintained close communication on the political settlement of the Yemen issue, and the political process in Yemen has made positive progress for a time. What is worrying is that the recent escalation of the situation in the Red Sea, especially the continuous military action by relevant countries against Yemen, has exacerbated the security risks in the Red Sea waters and seriously impacted the political process in Yemen. China calls on the Houthis to stop attacks on merchant ships, while stressing that the Security Council has never authorized any country to use force against Yemen. No country should distort or abuse international law and Security Council resolutions to create new tensions in the waters of the Red Sea.
Zhang Jun said that at this critical moment, China hopes that all parties in Yemen will put the interests of the people first, show determination, eliminate interference, and firmly push forward the political process to achieve final results. China supports the political process based on the principle of "Yemenis led and Yemenis owned", and looks forward to countries that have important influence on the situation in Yemen to continue to play a constructive role.
Zhang Jun said that Yemen remains one of the countries with the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. At present, the people's basic needs such as food, drinking water and medical care are very urgent. China is highly concerned about the fragile humanitarian situation in Yemen and calls on the international community to increase investment in Yemen's humanitarian and development efforts and earnestly help improve the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
Zhang Jun stressed that the political settlement of the Yemen issue is closely related to the regional environment. At present, the Gaza conflict has spilled over, the situation in the Red Sea has escalated, and the Middle East region is already on the verge of extreme danger. The most urgent task before all parties is to immediately promote a ceasefire in Gaza and to take practical, effective and responsible action to prevent the conflict from spreading further into the region. In particular, the countries concerned should heed the strong voice of the international community, especially the countries and peoples in the region, stop obstructing the Security Council's action, and earnestly join the efforts to promote an early ceasefire in Gaza.