UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 31  -- A senior Chinese diplomat on Monday said political dialogue is the only way to bring lasting peace to Yemenwhich is mired in a dire humanitarian situation due to stalled peace talks.

Wu Haitao, the deputy Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, said at an open meeting of the UN Security Council on Yemen that China is concerned with the current situation in the war-torn Middle East country.

Wu called upon all relevant parties to exercise restraint in a bid to pave the way for the resumption of peace talks and the improvement of the humanitarian situation in the country.

He called for a cessation of hostilities in the country as quickly as possible and voiced support for the mediation efforts by the UN special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

Wu also called upon all the warring parties to abide by international humanitarian law.

All parties must cooperate with humanitarian actors and the international community should be assist Yemen actively to relieve the suffering of its people, he said.

Yemen has been engulfed in violence for several years now. A confrontation between the country's Houthis (Ansar Allah) and the government of Yemen in early 2014 led to a Houthi advance on the capital, and an ensuing conflict which has involved support from outside parties.

The United Nations has made active efforts to help resolve the crisis.