China urges restraint amid Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

China's Foreign Ministry on Monday voiced deep concern over civilian casualties and damage to Saudi energy infrastructure, urging all parties to exercise restraint and pursue dialogue as Houthi missile and drone attacks on the kingdom intensify and threaten to unravel the relative calm observed since April 2022.

Beijing urges restraint

Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing that China is "deeply concerned about the casualties of innocent civilians and the damage to energy facilities and other civilian infrastructures caused by recent escalation in Yemen and the Red Sea." He said attacks against civilian infrastructure that bears on people's livelihoods "are unacceptable." "Increasing turmoil in the region serves no one's interest," Guo stated, adding that "the sovereignty and security of all countries should be respected, and the only way out is to resolve disputes through political and diplomatic means." "China calls on relevant parties to exercise restraint, ease tension through communication and dialogue, and work toward de-escalation as soon as possible," Guo added.

Civilian toll rises

At least 73 civilians have been injured in recent strikes targeting Saudi cities and critical energy infrastructure, according to the Saudi-led military coalition operating in Yemen. The Iranian-backed Houthis have stepped up missile and drone attacks against the kingdom in recent weeks, disrupting a relative calm that had largely held since April 2022 and raising widespread fears of a return to full-scale conflict across the impoverished Arab nation.

Yemen conflict background

The Houthis seized Yemen's capital Sanaa in late 2014, triggering nearly 12 years of devastating war that has drawn in regional powers and created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Saudi Arabia leads a military coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognized government against the rebel movement, which has increasingly targeted commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea — attacks that prompted Riyadh to announce plans for a new international maritime alliance in July.