Your Excellency Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez, 

I welcome your presence at the Council to preside over today's meeting, and thank Special Envoy Hans Grundberg and OCHA Director Ramesh Rajasingham for their briefings. I also welcome the participation of the representative of Yemen at this meeting. 

Yemen is now in the grips of a persistent political impasse, a fragile security situation, and a grim humanitarian crisis. With exchange of fire between the Houthis and Israel, the Red Sea situation remains tense. The international community should come together to make concerted efforts towards, as early as possible, a political settlement of the Yemeni issue and a return to peace and stability in the Red Sea. I wish to make three points. 

First, the security of the Red Sea shipping lanes must be maintained. Last month, the Houthis attacked two commercial vessels, causing casualties, which China finds deeply concerning. We call on the Houthis to respect the navigational rights of commercial vessels of all countries in the Red Sea in accordance with international law, and to stop harassing or attacking them. The shipping lanes in the Red Sea should be kept safe and the safety and security of civilians, including seafarers, should be protected, and Yemen's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity should also be respected. 

Second, active efforts must be made to move the peace process forward. The Yemeni issue can be resolved only through political means, and the truly viable way to achieve that is through dialogue and negotiation. China calls on the two parties to the conflict to resume engagement, move in the same direction, demonstrate the greatest sincerity in resolving their differences, build the greatest possible consensus for reconciliation, and make the greatest efforts to restore peace. China supports the work of Special Envoy Grundberg in this regard. 

Third, the humanitarian crisis must be eased as soon as possible. Yemen is experiencing one of the worst food security crises in the world, with nearly half its population facing acute food insecurity and about 4.8 million people displaced. Life is particularly hard for vulnerable groups, including women and children. The international community must ramp up humanitarian assistance to Yemen, support the country's economic development and efforts to improve its livelihood, and help the Yemeni people tide over these hard times. The safety and security of UN personnel and humanitarian workers must be guaranteed. 

President, 

What is happening in Yemen and the Red Sea is closely linked to the overall situation in the Middle East. Two days ago, the Security Council held an emergency meeting in this Chamber on the situation in Gaza. The message from that meeting was clear and unequivocal: the vast majority of Council members opposed Israel's plan to take over Gaza, opposed Israel's continued military operations in Gaza, and opposed Israel's weaponization of humanitarian aid. The international community must take all actions necessary to bring the fighting in Gaza to an end without delay, mitigate the impact of the humanitarian catastrophe, and deescalate the overall situation in the Middle East. 

Thank you, President.