President,

I thank Special Envoy Hans Grundberg and Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher for their briefings. I welcome the presence of the representative of Yemen at today’s meeting. 

The past month has witnessed increased instability in the Middle East and renewed tensions in Yemen. The sharply escalated military clashes between the Houthis and Israel, coupled with the accelerated deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen, are a source of grave concerns. We commend Special Envoy Grundberg’s good offices. We hope that all parties in the international community will play their positive roles and provide constructive assistance to deescalate the situation and relaunch the peace process. Allow me to make four points. 

First, the resumption of dialogue and negotiations is the only way forward. Given the long-standing confrontation between the parties, a resolution cannot happen overnight. Under no circumstances, however, should the correct option of political settlement be discarded. The top priority now remains to bring the parties back to the negotiating table, to gradually settle differences and resolve disputes, and to work towards an early reconciliation and economic reconstruction. 

Second, maintaining stability is of paramount importance. The recently renewed hostilities between the Houthis and Israel have showcased growing intensity and frequency of the conflict. We urge the parties to stay calm and exercise restraint to prevent further escalations. Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected by the international community. It is imperative that the Houthis respect the navigational rights of commercial vessels in the Red Sea in accordance with international law, thus ensuring the security of the Red Sea shipping lanes. 

Third, alleviating the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe is a pressing imperative. Food insecurity in Yemen has reached an all-time high, with pockets of the population projected to face famine this month. Women, children, and other vulnerable groups are the most disproportionately affected. We call on the international community to provide more urgent humanitarian assistance to Yemen to immediately curb this deteriorating, widespread food crisis. 

Fourth, abiding by humanitarian principles is an unequivocal baseline. Protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure is an obligation under international humanitarian law that should be observed by all parties to the conflict. The UN agencies in particular must not be targeted. China is deeply concerned about the recent detention of more than 20 UN staff, an act that is utterly unacceptable. We call on the Houthis to immediately and unconditionally release all detainees. 

President, 

Deliberations on Yemen cannot be detached from the overall situation in the Middle East. Last week, the very first resolution adopted at the opening of the 80th session of the General Assembly was none but the New York Declaration on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-State solution. The Gaza conflict has dragged on for nearly two years, causing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. China calls on the Security Council and the international community to use all means necessary to immediately end the fighting in Gaza, ease the humanitarian situation, and work for deescalation, which will also create conditions for resolving the issues of Yemen and the Red Sea.

Thank you, President.