Chinese envoy calls for cease-fire in Yemen, improvement of humanitarian situation

UNITED NATIONS - A Chinese envoy on Thursday called for an immediate cease-fire in Yemen and for efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in the country.

Hostilities have recently escalated in Yemen. China is deeply concerned about this and urges all parties to immediately cease fire and stop the violence, especially to bring an early end to the fighting in Marib, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

China condemns all attacks on civilians and civilian installations and urges all parties to abide by international humanitarian law and protect vulnerable groups, especially women and children, he told the Security Council.

On Sept 28, the Yemeni prime minister and other senior officials returned to Aden. China welcomes the development and supports the Yemeni government's active administration in Aden. All parties concerned should fully implement the Riyadh Agreement, uphold security and stability in Aden, and create favorable conditions for the government to take measures to improve the economy and people's livelihood, he said.

Geng expressed the hope that the government of Yemen will make full use of the Special Drawing Rights of the International Monetary Fund and humanitarian assistance from the international community to stabilize the value of the currency, reduce the cost of living and ensure basic services.

Mitigating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is a common task facing the international community. China welcomes the holding of the pledging conference for Yemen during the high-level week of the UN General Assembly last month, and hopes that the donors will disperse the pledged money as soon as possible to keep alive the UN humanitarian relief projects in Yemen, he said.

The international community has provided massive amounts of humanitarian supplies to Yemen. All parties in Yemen should ensure humanitarian access and the delivery of humanitarian supplies to people in need. All parties should also make the ports operational to ensure the import of food, fuel and other commodities to meet people's needs.

UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg has been actively engaging all parties in Yemen and has visited various regional countries. China appreciates his efforts, he said. "We encourage the special envoy to continue his in-depth discussions with the parties to promote dialogue between the government of Yemen and the Houthis, and to present a roadmap for the peace process in due course to give impetus to the settlement of the Yemeni issue. We call on all parties to receive the special envoy's visits unconditionally, to exchange views with him in a frank and constructive manner, and work together to find a political solution that takes into account the concerns of all parties."

The resolution of the Yemeni issue cannot be achieved without the coordination and cooperation of regional countries. And it is the common interests of regional countries to restore peace and order in Yemen. China calls on all parties with influence in Yemen to scale up their peace efforts and play a more active role, he said.