China calls for calmness, restraint to prevent worsening Red Sea situation

China

China calls for calmness, restraint to prevent worsening Red Sea situation

2024-10-16 19:11 Last Updated At：20:07

China calls for calmness and restraint of all sides to prevent the Red Sea situation from worsening, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, at the UN Security Council meeting on the Yemen issue on Tuesday.

Over the past weeks, the conflict in Gaza continued, and the Lebanon-Israel situation sharply worsened, with side effects spilling over, while the Houthis attacked Israel, and Israel launched air strikes at Yemen's ports of Hodeidah and Ras Issa, Geng said.

He said China is deeply concerned over the current situation and its future course, highlighting the priority is to deescalate the situation and prevent the conflict from intensifying.

Geng stressed that dialog and negotiations are the only right choice to resolve the Yemen issue.

"The continuous tensions in the Red Sea do not conform to the common interests of the international community. China once again calls on the Houthis to respect the right of business ships from all countries to sail in the waters of the Red Sea, stop attacking and disturbing the ships, and maintain the safety of the waterways in the sea. All relevant parties also should stay calm, exercise restraint and stop actions that will escalate the tensions," said Geng.

Noting that the situation in Yemen is closely related to the Middle East situation, Geng said the conflict in Gaza lasting over one year has caused unprecedented humanitarian crisis and is pulling the region into the mire of war and conflict.

At this critical moment, the situation must not be allowed to further deteriorate to a point of no return, he said.

Geng urged the UN Security Council to maintain solidarity and take measures to halt reckless risk-taking military operations that will intensify the conflict and push for permanent ceasefire in Gaza and deescalate the Lebanon-Israel conflict as soon as possible to avoid an even greater catastrophe in the Middle East.

UN welcomes Lebanon-Israel talks

The United Nations welcomes the talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives held on Tuesday, describing the dialog as an "important first step" toward breaking the cycle of violence and ending hostilities.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said at a press briefing on Wednesday that the UN considers continued dialog essential for resolving outstanding issues and restoring stability in the region. He reaffirmed the UN's readiness to provide support and reiterated the call for full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701.

Haq also expressed concern over threats to the safety and freedom of movement of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, urging the Israeli military to fulfill its obligations to protect them.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon continues to worsen. The UN issued an urgent appeal to all parties to immediately de-escalate hostilities, respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians, ensure unimpeded access to humanitarian aid, and called on the international community to rapidly increase emergency funding.