Mr. President,

I thank special Special Envoy Grundberg and Assistant Secretary-General Msuya for their briefings. China firmly supports their work. I also welcome the permanent representatives of Yemen and Saudi Arabia to our meeting today.

The six-month truce has brought a glimmer of hope to Yemen. The people of Yemen and the international community generally expect that the truce will be extended and gradually expanded into a comprehensive political process. Regrettably, despite the intensive efforts of the Special Envoy, the Yemeni Government, and regional countries such as Saudi Arabia and Oman, this goal has not yet been achieved. We do not want to see a restart of the war in Yemen, and are deeply concerned over the development of the situation on the ground.

The top priority now is to prevent escalation of tensions and maintain the current relatively stable security situation. China calls on the relevant parties to put the interests of the Yemeni people first, exercise restraint, act prudently, refrain from any unilateral actions and provocative language that may escalate the situation, and leave enough space for the political process. Any attack on civilians and civilian installations should be condemned. At this critical moment, all parties in Yemen should maintain communication and avoid miscalculation.

Dialogue and consultation are the only right way to resolve the Yemeni issue. The Special Envoy is working relentlessly to help restore the truce. The Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council has engaged positively with the Special Envoy, and it has kept the Sanaa airport and the Hodeida port open, fully demonstrating its sincerity and goodwill. On October 5, the President of the Security Council issued a press statement, which called on the Yemeni parties, in particular the Houthis, to return to engaging constructively in negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations. We hope that this appeal can be implemented, and that the relevant parties can return to the negotiating table as soon as possible, so as to properly resolve the differences through dialogue and consultation, and strive to reach a new truce arrangement at an early date. China supports the GCC initiative on the issue of Yemen, and encourages the countries with influence on the situation in Yemen to continue to provide constructive assistance for deescalating the situation, restoring the truce, and realizing a political settlement.

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is continuing, and the UN humanitarian operations are severely underfunded. Dozens of projects have been curtailed or terminated due to the lack of funding. Yemen cannot be forgotten by the international community. We call for the allocation of adequate funding guaranteed for UN assistance project in Yemen. The funding preparation for the first phase of the action plan regarding the Safer oil tanker had been completed. This is encouraging news. We hope that the relevant project can be implemented as soon as possible to eliminate the potential risks of the oil tanker.

Thank you, Mr. President.