Madam President, 

I thank Special Envoy Hans Grundberg and Ms. Wosornu for their briefings. I also listened carefully to Ms. Al-Hajj’s statement. We welcome the participation of the representatives of Yemen and Saudi Arabia at today's meeting, I would like to make three points. 

First, we must remain committed to dialogue and negotiation. China commends all relevant parties to the Yemeni issue for maintaining communication on the resumption to truce and regional countries such as Saudi Arabia and Oman for their ongoing efforts. We hope all parties will stick to the overall direction of political solution, prioritize the interests and well-being of the Yemeni people, and with a heightened sense of urgency show political will and necessary flexibility. China supports Special Envoy Grundberg’s work and supports the UN’s role as the main channel of mediation. China calls on Council members to remain united and on countries with influence on the Yemeni situation to play a constructive role, so as to jointly facilitate tangible results in the political process in Yemen at an early date. 

Second, we must watch closely the security situation. Taiz, Marib, and other places have often seen sporadic armed conflicts. The security situation in Yemen remains fragile. Against this backdrop, all parties to the conflict should remain calm and show restraint, avoid harming mutual trust or increasing tension, and avoid any factors that might hamper efforts of diplomatic mediation or complicate the political process. 

Third, we must increase humanitarian assistance. Eight years of conflicts have plunged Yemen into a serious humanitarian crisis. At present, there are 17 million people who lack food security. Health care, infrastructure and other humanitarian needs are also dire. Recently, the currency of Yemen depreciated sharply and inflation was on the rise, making people's lives ever more difficult. We call on the international community to increase its humanitarian and development input into Yemen, and welcome the economic assistance provided by Saudi Arabia and other countries. The news that the head of the WFP office in Taiz Governorate was shot and killed is harrowing. The security of humanitarian workers should be effectively guaranteed. 

The offloading of crude oil from SFO Safer has been completed recently, thus averting a potential environmental and humanitarian disaster. China highly commends the UN and other relevant parties on their efforts, and hopes that the funds needed for the subsequent cleanup operation could be secured as soon as possible. We call on all parties in Yemen to negotiate a proper plan on the disposal of the crude oil and other relevant issues. 

Thank you, Madam President.