China urges UN Security Council to work out comprehensive, effective solutions to Middle East issues in new year

A Chinese envoy on Monday called on the United Nations (UN) Security Council to work out comprehensive, holistic and effective solutions to the Middle East issues in the new year.

Speaking at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the current situation in the Middle East, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to United Nations, said this year has witnessed the conflicts escalating and the tension persistently spreading in the Middle East. In face of the turbulence and the escalating tension, the United Nations Security Council should work out comprehensive, holistic, and effective solutions to the Middle East issues.

"As the year of 2024 draws to a close, the situation in Yemen is rapidly heating up again. The Houthi armed forces are frequently attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, disrupting international shipping and trade order. The United States, Israel, and other countries have continued to carry out air strikes in Yemen, causing significant casualties. The Houthis and Israel are flexing their muscles and exchanging provocations, leading to a further tension escalation, which is deeply concerning," said Geng.

Geng noted the conflicts in the Gaza Strip have been ongoing for too long. An immediate and long-lasting ceasefire is a prerequisite for all efforts. At the same time, the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel is fragile. China urges the Houthis to stop harassing commercial ships and other forms of attacks, while also calling on relevant countries to halt air strikes in Yemen.

Geng stressed that China calls on the international community to work harder to promote a comprehensive, just and long-lasting resolution to the Palestinian issue.

"Facts have repeatedly proved that the Palestinian issue is at the core of the Middle East issue. Only by completely resolving the Palestinian issue, the Middle East can achieve real peace and stability. The international community should revitalize the political prospect of the two-state solution with a sense of urgency," said Geng.

Geng reiterated that China calls on countries in the Middle East to settle down disputes and conflicts through dialogues and negotiation and to achieve peaceful co-existence. All countries should respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity and legitimate rights of survival and development and legitimate security concerns. China supports countries in the Middle East to build a new and sustainable security architecture upholding a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable outlook.

China urges UN Security Council to work out comprehensive, effective solutions to Middle East issues in new year

China urges UN Security Council to work out comprehensive, effective solutions to Middle East issues in new year

China urges UN Security Council to work out comprehensive, effective solutions to Middle East issues in new year

A new chapter has been opened in the decades-old campaign of fighting desertification in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region as the 3,046-km green belt encircling the Taklimakan Desert in the region was completed on November 28, 2024.

The Taklimakan Desert, once known as the "sea of death," covers 337,600 square kilometers and its circumference measures 3,046 km, making it the largest desert in China and the second-largest drifting desert in the world.

It has taken more than 40 years to fully enclose the desert with a green belt. This incredible achievement is part of China's Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program, the world's largest afforestation initiative. The program was launched in 1978 and is scheduled to be completed by 2050.

Xinjiang's commitment to fighting desertification did not waver following the green belt's completion. Instead, the region is continuing to expand and fortify the belt to achieve broader ecological management objectives.

Despite subzero temperatures and recent snowfall, the relentless work at the sand control site persists.

In Yutian County on the edge of the Taklimakan Desert, workers are busy leveling a 530-hectare piece of sandy land for the forthcoming ecological conservation endeavors.

"It's been almost a month, and we'll work for another three or four days, and then we'll have leveled it out here," said a bulldozer driver working on-site.

In Luopu County also on the edge of the Taklimakan Desert, workers are preparing red willow branches in nurseries for planting across more than 400 hectares of desert in the coming spring. Indigenous sand-fixing plants like sacsaoul and red willow are poised to assume important roles in fighting desertification the upcoming year.

The green belt surrounding the Taklimakan Desert not only emphasizes ecological conservation but also highlights economic progress. Through photovoltaic projects, the region is pioneering a novel ecological management strategy aimed at achieving dual objectives of environmental preservation and economic prosperity. This approach not only aids in fighting desertification, but also promises economic benefits, propelling sustainable development in the area.

Presently, the construction of a photovoltaic project within the Taklimakan Desert is busy underway, with workers installing solar panels. By spring, sand fixing plants like alfalfa and Chinese fountain grass will be planted below these panels, making the project a good example for the exploration of a new win-win model of ecological governance and economic development in Xinjiang.

Xinjiang opens new chapter in fighting desertification