China made a new offer to Sana’a, in a move described in terms of timing as an attempt to save the Saudi-Iranian agreement.
The Chinese Chargé d’Affaires to Yemen, Zhao Cheng, said that his country is ready for the reconstruction of Yemen, on the condition that a peace agreement be reached first.
At a press conference in Riyadh, the Chinese official presented his country’s mediation to resolve the crisis, starting with a Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue.
Zheng’s statements are China’s first official position on the Yemeni file, and its timing, which comes days after China sponsored an agreement between Riyadh and Tehran, indicates Beijing’s efforts to enter the mediation line between Sana’a and Riyadh, especially in light of Saudi Arabia’s reliance on the Chinese agreement to move the stagnant waters in the Yemen quagmire.
It is noteworthy that the file of reconstruction is the most prominent file of the dispute between Sana’a and Riyadh, where Sana’a adheres to the need for Saudi Arabia to bear the costs of reconstruction, while the latter is trying to evade any entitlements regarding this matter.
