China calls for Gaza cease-fire to resolve Red Sea crisis

China's ambassador to the United Nations on Thursday urged a lasting cease-fire in Gaza, emphasizing that the Red Sea crisis is a spillover of the Gaza conflict. He reiterated the need to address the Gaza violence to stabilize the region and ensure maritime safety.

"The current tension in the Red Sea is one of the manifestations of the spillover of the Gaza conflict. An immediate and lasting cease-fire in Gaza will help cool down the situation in Yemen and the Red Sea," Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council meeting on the Red Sea crisis.

China urges the Houthis to respect international navigation laws, listen to the voice of the international community and abide by the requirements of relevant Security Council resolutions. The Houthis also should stop harassing civilian ships and maintain the safety of waterways in the Red Sea, said Geng.

The Red Sea has played a crucial role in global trade, as it accounts for about 10 percent of seaborne trade globally. Since mid-November, the Houthis have launched a series of attacks against commercial and military ships in the region to pressure Israel to end the military action that it launched in the Gaza strip.

The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2722 in January, calling for the cessation of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea region and recognizing the right to defend ships from such attacks. China, Algeria, Russia and Mozambique abstained from voting, because the resolution didn't link a cease-fire in Gaza to resolving the Red Sea issues.

By abstaining, China's main concern is that the resolution is "ambiguous on several key issues", which may have "negative consequences and lead to further escalation of regional tensions", said Geng, noting that some countries have launched military actions against Yemen since Resolution 2722 was adopted.

Those actions have caused infrastructure damage, civilian casualties and increased security risks in the Red Sea, Geng said.

Two days after the resolution's adoption, the United States and the United Kingdom, backed by Australia, Bahrain, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands and South Korea, initiated a series of air and missile strikes against the Houthis.

The Security Council on Thursday adopted a new resolution extending the monthly reporting requirement for the secretary-general on attacks by the Houthi rebel group in Yemen on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

It was originally set to expire on July 1, but was extended for another six months until Jan 15, 2025. The resolution also renewed the call to halt Houthi attacks.

Geng said Thursday's resolution is a "technical extension of Resolution 2722". Based on the continuity of China's position and the developments since the adoption of Resolution 2722, China will abstain from voting again, he said.

The Houthis have said they will continue attacks until Israel halts its military campaign in Gaza and allows more humanitarian aid. The rebels have targeted more than 60 vessels with missiles and drones, resulting in four sailors' deaths. On Thursday, a ship in the Red Sea reported being hit in a Houthi attack.

"We call on relevant countries to take a responsible attitude and make sincere efforts to this end. China is willing to continue to work with the Security Council and the international community to promote an immediate and lasting cease-fire in Gaza, promote a political solution to the Yemen issue and jointly maintain peace and stability in the Middle East," Geng said.