Mr. Ansaf Mayo, Vice President of the Parliamentary Bloc of the Yemeni Islah Party, Head of the Executive Office of the Islah Party branch in the interim capital, Aden, said that Yemen and China can achieve many successes and investments that benefit the Yemeni people.

This came in a symposium held last Monday, on relations and development opportunities between the two countries, whereas the Yemeni Embassy in Saudi Arabia and the Chinese Embassy in Yemen, in partnership with the Messengers of Peace Organization, organized this symposium. The symposium was opened by the Yemeni Ambassador to Riyadh, Dr. Shayee al-Zindani, and the Chargé d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Yemen, Shao Zheng.

In his paper presented at the symposium, Mayo added that Yemen has a bright future ahead of it if the state is restored and its institutions are built on scientific foundations that keep pace with technological progress in all fields.

He pointed out that Yemen and China are on the verge of seven decades since the beginning of diplomatic relations between the two friendly countries, a mutual keenness to build fruitful partnerships based on mutual respect, effective partnership, and fruitful cooperation away from the theory of domination and dependency, pointing out that Yemen has lost many development opportunities because of the Houthi war on the Yemeni people and the destruction of the state and its institutions.

He touched on the most important areas in which cooperation and success can be achieved, which are the oil fields, raw energy resources, international corridors, Yemeni ports as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, the fields of electricity, water, roads, bridges and tunnels, the fields of technical education, vocational training, as well as the fields of Communications, technology, open space, health fields, in addition to industrial fields and many other fields.

Mayo explained that this means the importance of strengthening the Chinese role in Yemen in order to bring peace, end the coup, restore the state and its institutions, and search for opportunities for effective partnership with China, especially in light of the international transformations towards a global order based on justice and common development.

During his speech, the Deputy Head of the Parliamentary Bloc of the Islah Party reviewed the importance of Yemeni-Chinese relations, Yemen’s keenness to build good relations with all countries of the world, including China, which its President Xi Jinping announced last August the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity, strengthening strategic partnership relations, and deepening cooperation, taking responsibility in facing common challenges and creating a beautiful future, in addition to pointing to four directions, which are strengthening economic, trade, and financial cooperation, expanding political and security cooperation, enhancing popular and cultural communication, and adhering to justice and fairness.

He pointed out Yemen's keenness - which has geopolitical advantages that make it a priority in relations with China - to benefit from China's scientific, industrial, and commercial progress, adding, "Therefore, Yemeni-Chinese relations were characterized by going beyond diplomatic or official relations to popular relations in all political, economic, cultural, social fields, and others.

Regarding the political relations between the two friendly countries, Mayo confirmed that these relations witnessed great development over 67 years and culminated in the exchange of official visits by the leaders of the two countries and holding meetings at the level of the presidency of the two countries at the end of the year 2022, with the meeting of the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad al-Alimi, with the Chinese President in Riyadh during the summit. Chinese Arabic.

He pointed out that Yemen is considered one of the most important countries in the Belt and Road Initiative, the giant "Project of the Century." He made it clear that the war sparked by the Houthi militias through their coup against the state and its institutions placed Yemen outside the context of international concern except as a security case only.

Mayo praised China's positions in support of Yemeni legitimacy, restoring the state and its institutions, and establishing lasting and comprehensive peace. He said that China is appreciated by the leadership, government, and people of Yemen, as well as its repeated calls for the Houthi militias to return to the dialogue table.

He appreciated the generous support provided by friends in China in the humanitarian aspect to contribute to alleviating the human suffering caused by the Houthis in Yemen.

In the field of trade relations, Mayo stressed the importance of continuing coordination and joint meetings on commercial and industrial aspects to expand business and commercial investments between the two countries, especially in the fields of energy and developing the industrial base, which will accelerate the wheel of development.

Regarding cultural relations, he pointed out that the Chinese scholarships for Yemeni students is considered one of the most important bridges of cultural relations, praising China’s strategy in dealing with countries on the basis of partnership and parity and not on domination and subordination, and this is what makes the popular relations between the two friendly peoples more expanded and deeper.

He pointed to the signing of the General Book Authority agreement with the Chinese Ministry of Publishing, to translate Yemeni and Chinese books, noting that there are about 30,000 Yemenis in China, most of whom are merchants and students, and they form a bridge linking China with Yemen.

On the issue of relations with political parties and components, the Vice Head of the Parliamentary Bloc of the Yemeni Islah Party, Head of the Aden branch of the Islah Party, stressed that China welcomes all political components and civil society organizations, indicating that the political parties in Yemen have long friendly relations with China.

Mayo said that the Yemeni parties are trying to draw inspiration from the experiences, visions, and ideas that led China to leadership.

He continued, saying: “For example, we, in the Yemeni Islah Party and within the framework of the party’s external relations and in line with the laws of Yemen, have strong relations with our friends in China, and they extend many invitations to us to attend political and party events in China, and we, like the rest of the Yemeni parties We participated in the work of the Conference of Arab Parties with the Chinese Communist Party, “the fourth session,” and they also, in return, participate and exchange bilateral meetings with us. On many occasions, we share with them many visions about peace in Yemen and supporting its unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, the need to end the state of war and move towards construction, development, and benefiting from opportunities for effective partnership for sustainable development.

He renewed the Reform Party's appreciation for China's role in supporting peace, stability, and ending conflicts, in addition to appreciation for President Xi Jinping's efforts to bring civilizations closer together in order to bring peace and stability to the world.

Mayo affirmed the Islah Party’s bias towards the state and its values and its belief in political pluralism and the democratic approach, and that the closest way to reaching power is through the ballot boxes of fair elections and not through the barrels of rifles.

He explained that the Islah Party views the role played by China in bringing Saudi Arabia and Iran closer together as a step that can contribute to pressuring the Houthi militia to move towards peace in a way that leads to a radical solution to the war in Yemen and achieves an end to the coup, the disarmament of the militias, and the return of security and stability to Yemen.

Mayo stressed that the Islah Party, within the framework of legitimacy, leaves room for all efforts to bring peace to Yemen, despite prior knowledge of the behavior, approach, and thought of the Houthi militia that it is not serious about bringing peace and positively dealing with efforts to achieve that, and insisting on raising impossible issues, And the continuation of the siege of the governorates, the most important of which is Taiz, despite the legitimacy’s response and making major concessions.

He expressed his hope in the international community, especially friends in China, if the Houthi militia does not submit to peace after all these efforts to support the struggle of the Yemenis to liberate their land and restore their state.