PLC President: No Peace with Group Claiming Divine Right to Rule and Challenging State’s Exclusive Powers

  Riyadh

His Excellency President Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, President of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), received today, Thursday, Chinese Government Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs Zhai Jun and his accompanying delegation.

The meeting discussed the longstanding and distinguished relations between the two friendly countries and ways to strengthen and develop them, as well as regional issues of mutual concern.

The PLC President expressed Yemen’s pride in its strong relations with the People’s Republic of China and the shared commitment to enhancing cooperation across various fields. He affirmed that Yemen, given its strategic location, ports, and links with its Arab and African surroundings, could serve as an important link in the Belt and Road Initiative and a close partner in securing global trade.

President Al-Alimi commended China’s consistent stances in support of Yemen and its people, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. He expressed hope for a greater Chinese role in supporting the Yemeni state, its institutions, armed forces, and security services. Such support, he said, would strengthen efforts to restore state institutions, protect civilians, and secure maritime routes.

The PLC President reaffirmed the Republic of Yemen’s firm support for the One-China Principle and China’s sovereignty, as well as its rejection of interference in China’s internal affairs. He stressed that respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states must remain a consistent basis for addressing crises, foremost among them the situation in Yemen.

President Al-Alimi expressed appreciation for China’s efforts to support peace in Yemen and the region. He noted that the government had engaged positively with all de-escalation initiatives and made genuine concessions in the interests of the Yemeni people. However, the Houthi militias, with Iranian support, had exploited these efforts to strengthen their military capabilities and escalate their hostile actions and terrorist attacks, rather than seize the opportunity to end the protracted suffering of the Yemeni people.

The PLC President explained that the core of the problem with the Houthi militias was not a dispute over power. Rather, it lay in the group’s insistence on retaining weapons outside state authority, its claim to a divine right to rule, and its assertion that its leaders stand above the law and the will of the people. He described this as unacceptable and an existential threat to the Yemeni state and its national security.

President Al-Alimi reaffirmed the government’s commitment to a peace-oriented approach leading to a national state governed by the Constitution, with institutions holding an exclusive monopoly over the use of force and weapons, and equal citizenship for all, free from the threat posed by cross-border militias.

The PLC President also referred to findings disclosed by the security services regarding the involvement of dozens of Iranian, Lebanese, and Iraqi experts alongside the Houthi militias. He explained that Iran is using the group to keep Yemen as a card for exerting pressure and blackmailing countries in the region and the wider world.

President Al-Alimi warned that tolerating the dismantling of national states through the use of armed force would open the door to the fragmentation of countries and the emergence of competing entities. This, he said, would contradict the principles shared by Yemen and China, particularly respect for state sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The PLC President also discussed the latest developments in the Houthi escalation, including the suffocating siege imposed on residents of Taiz Governorate and attacks on civilian objects. He said these acts amounted to a war crime and represented a decisive test of the international community’s credibility in protecting civilians and safeguarding international peace and security.

For his part, Chinese Special Envoy Zhai Jun reaffirmed his country’s continued support for Yemen and its backing for the Presidential Leadership Council and the government in their efforts to restore security, stability, and peace. He reiterated China’s commitment to Yemen’s security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as its continued efforts to support de-escalation and prevent further deterioration in Yemen and the region.

Zhai Jun also highlighted China’s commitment to continuing humanitarian assistance to the Yemeni people and doing its utmost to support development projects, thereby helping alleviate the humanitarian suffering and strengthen cooperation between the two friendly countries and peoples.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Yahya Al-Shuaibi, Director of the Office of the Presidency of the Republic and Mr. Shao Zheng, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China.