Mr. President,

I would like to thank Special Adviser Benomar for his briefing today. The Chinese delegation listened with great interest to the statements made by Foreign Minister Al-Qirbi and Secretary General Al Zayani of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Since the launch of the National Dialogue last March, thanks to the hard work of the Government and people of Yemen and the broad support from the international community, the political process in Yemen has made steady progress. The National Dialogue is making headway. The Supreme Commission for Election and Referendum is making preparations for a new constitution and general elections. The restricting of the armed forces is forging ahead in an orderly fashion. Active measures have been taken to implement the priority plan for economic and social reconstruction. China welcomes these developments.

At the same time, the economic situation of Yemen remains bleak and the security situation volatile. The political transition process is still facing some challenges. National reconciliation remains a daunting task. Given the current situation, we hope that all stakeholders in Yemen and the nation as a whole will move towards the long-term interests of the country, preserve unity, effectively apply the GCC initiative and its implementation mechanisms, resolve political differences through dialogue and consultations, and continuously promote the national political process and national reconciliation.

China appreciates the good offices of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Yemen and supports the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Special Adviser, Mr. Benomar, in assisting Yemen to press ahead with the political process. At the ministerial meeting of the Friends of Yemen group, held recently in New York, a consensus was reached to continue to support the Yemeni Government in its political, economic and security sector reforms. China welcomes this consensus and hopes that the international community will take this opportunity to make full use of the United Nations and the Friends of Yemen mechanism and enhance coordination and synergy in order to promote the political process in Yemen. During this transition process, the international community must fully respect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yemen and the right of the people of Yemen to choose their own path of national development.

Over the years, China has rendered continuous support to the Yemeni Government in its efforts to promote political and social reforms in the country in order to help Yemen achieve economic and social development and improve the country’s humanitarian situation. China has provided assistance within the scope of its means, including a total of ¥325 million in economic assistance and over ¥30 million in humanitarian assistance. We will further scale up our assistance to Yemen. We also call on the international community to make good on its commitments and help Yemen speed up the pace of economic recovery.

Thank you, Mr. President.