China calls for efforts to ease tensions in Red Sea

BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- China does not want tensions in the Red Sea and is committed to working with all parties to make positive efforts to ease tensions in the Red Sea, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a regular news briefing when asked if the Houthi group's attacks in the Red Sea have negative impacts on China's trade with Middle East countries.

Wang said the waters of the Red Sea are an important corridor for international trade of goods and energy, and China does not want tensions in the Red Sea. China calls for a cessation to the harassment of civilian vessels and earnest respect for the sovereignty of Red Sea littoral countries, including Yemen, and is committed to working with all parties to make positive efforts to ease tensions in the Red Sea, he said.

Wang said the root cause of the escalating situation in the Red Sea is the spillover of the Gaza conflict, and a quick end to the fighting in Gaza will help ease the situation in the Red Sea.

China urges all parties to the conflict in Gaza to earnestly implement the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, and achieve a ceasefire immediately, Wang said, noting that the international community should take coordinated action to that end.