China will play a bigger role in maintaining peace in the Middle East, especially in Yemen. This's according to Gong Xiaosheng, China's Special Envoy on Middle East Issues.

"There are a series of new changes in the issues related to Yemen. All parties in Yemen have expressed their willingness to stop fighting through dialogue, and that they hope we can help to facilitate negotiation. So far, according to the current deal, the ceasefire will take place from April the 10th and peace talks will be held in Kuwait on April the 18th. We can expect progress of the political process," Gong said.

The remarks come after the Chinese envoy visited Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Aman to broker talks on restoring peace in Yemen. The country has been gripped by conflict between government forces and Houthi rebels since 2014. According to the UN, over 6,000 people have been killed, and 2.5 million people displaced in the past year. And more than 21 million Yemenis, or 82 percent of the country's population, are in need of the most basic humanitarian aid.