BEIJING, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- China hopes Yemen's political parties seriously carry out their new peace agreement, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Monday.
On Sunday, Yemeni political factions within the power-sharing government and the Shiite Houthi group signed a ceasefire deal after days of fierce battles in the capital city of Sanaa.
The deal called for the formation of a new government of technocrats from all factions, including Houthis, the naming of a new prime minister, an end to political and security tensions and the formation of a committee to improve livelihoods and reduce fuel prices.
The peace agreement put an end to deadly fighting between the Houthi group and the army. The clashes broke out on Tuesday of last week in northwestern Sanaa and have left more than 200 people dead, including about 50 civilians.
Hua called on the parties concerned to resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation, continue to push forward the political transition process, and safeguard ethnic harmony and national unity, in a bid to restore domestic stability and normal development as soon as possible.
Tens of thousands of supporters of the Houthi group have rallied in Sanaa since early August, demanding the government resume fuel subsidies and that the cabinet resign.
The Houthis have been fighting against the Yemeni army in the country's north for years. The last ceasefire deal was reached in 2010, after a six-year war during which the group took control of Saada province.
However, it started to expand its influence into the south in late 2013, when it provoked sectarian conflicts in the northern Amran Province, only 60 km north of the capital.
Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East region, suffering from increasing poverty and unemployment rates of above 55 percent. It also faces alarming financial problems including an increasing budget deficit mainly due to a sharp drop in oil revenues.