The Republic of Yemen and the People’s Republic of China signed a Development Cooperation Agreement today aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and expanding development and humanitarian cooperation between the two friendly countries.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the Government of Yemen by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Dr. Afrah Al-Zouba, and on behalf of the Chinese Government by Zhao Zheng, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to Yemen.

Under the agreement, the Government of China will provide a grant of 50 million Chinese yuan to the Government of Yemen to finance humanitarian assistance and development cooperation projects, based on the Yemeni government’s priorities and needs, as agreed by both sides.

Following the signing ceremony, Dr. Al-Zouba highlighted the importance of the agreement in supporting the government’s efforts to address Yemen’s humanitarian and development challenges. She expressed appreciation for China’s continued support to Yemen across various sectors.

The Minister reaffirmed the Yemeni government’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with China in ways that contribute to the implementation of sustainable development projects, improve public services, and support the country’s economic recovery.

On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Dr. Al-Zouba and the Chinese Chargé d’Affaires held extensive discussions on the government’s priorities and the strategic allocation of Chinese assistance to maximize its development impact.

The Minister outlined several priority sectors, beginning with water, where discussions focused on providing solar energy systems and battery storage to power water wells in Aden as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels in response to urgent sectoral needs.

The two sides also discussed the electricity sector, including support for power generation and transmission infrastructure in Aden and neighboring governorates through previously allocated funding. Discussions further covered the education and health sectors, along with other critical areas of national development.

Dr. Al-Zouba emphasized the importance of directing Chinese assistance toward financing gaps that are not covered by other development partners, thereby strengthening the complementarity of international support provided to the Government of Yemen.

The two sides also discussed expanding capacity-building opportunities for Yemeni professionals through training programmes in China, extending these programmes to sectors including transport, energy, and health. They further explored opportunities to leverage the expertise of Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises and strengthen partnerships with the Yemeni private sector in agriculture, fisheries, and agro-processing industries.

For his part, the Chinese Chargé d’Affaires reaffirmed China’s continued commitment to supporting Yemen’s humanitarian and development efforts and expressed China’s readiness to further expand bilateral cooperation in ways that serve the shared interests of the two friendly peoples.