NEW YORK, Aug 16 – A Chinese envoy on Thursday reiterated the call for the Houthis to respect the rights of navigation of all merchant ships in the Red Sea in accordance with international law.
In remarks at the Security Council briefing on Yemen, Geng Shuang, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said China welcomes the recent agreement between the Yemeni government and the Houthis on financial and aviation issues.
“We hope that the parties will build on this example and bear in mind the interests and well-being of the Yemeni people, stay committed to a political solution, eliminate interference, meet each other halfway, and resolve the conflict through dialogue and negotiation, so as to jointly promote the Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned comprehensive political process,” he said.
Geng noted that China supports the mediation efforts of UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg, and expects all parties, particularly those countries with influence on the situation in Yemen, to play a constructive role in this regard.
“China, once again, calls on the Houthis to respect the rights of navigation of all merchant ships in the Red Sea in accordance with international law, stop the harassment and attacks, and maintain the safety of the shipping lanes in the Red Sea,” said the ambassador, urging the relevant parties to exercise restraint and stop actions that will exacerbate tensions.
He also called on the international community to increase humanitarian assistance, speed up honoring the pledges, and help alleviate the severe humanitarian situation in Yemen, and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all UN personnel and the return of the related assets detained in Yemen.
The situation in Yemen and the Red Sea is closely related to the Gaza conflict, he said, warning that the slow and difficult process to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza has had negative spillover effects that have exacerbated regional turmoil.
