The Houthis, who control territory with more than half of Yemen's population, previously said forming a government with their allies did not mean abandoning the U.N.-sponsored peace process. In a statement late on Friday, China's Foreign Ministry said it supported Yemen's legal government. However, China has been trying to get more involved, especially in Syria and has taken tentative steps over the Yemen crisis too. Riyadh sees the Houthis as a proxy for bitter regional rival Iran to expand its influence in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula nation. The Houthis deny this and say they are waging a revolution against a corrupt government and Gulf Arab powers beholden to the West.

Source: The Star December 03, 2016 01:23 UTC