Dozens of countries joined China on Friday to establish a mediation-based international dispute resolution forum in Hong Kong.
Representatives of about 30 nations, from Pakistan and Indonesia to Belarus and Cuba, joined China’s foreign minister Wang Yi in signing the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation, becoming its founding members.
The support of developing countries showed Beijing's rising influence in the global south amid heightened geopolitical tensions, partly exacerbated by US president Donald Trump's trade tariffs.
At a ceremony, Mr Wang said China had long advocated for handling differences with a spirit of mutual understanding and consensus-building through dialogue while aiming to provide “Chinese wisdom” for resolving conflicts between nations.
“The establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation helps to move beyond the zero-sum mindset of ‘you lose and I win,’” he said.
The organisation aimed to help promote the amicable resolution of international disputes and build more harmonious global relations, he added.
Beijing has touted the new organisation as the world's first intergovernmental legal forum for resolving disputes through mediation, saying it will be an important mechanism in safeguarding the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. It has also positioned Hong Kong as an international legal and dispute resolution services center in Asia.
Mr Wang said the city's rule of law was highly developed, with the advantages of both common law and mainland Chinese law systems, asserting that it possessed uniquely favorable conditions for international mediation.
Hong Kong leader John Lee said the organisation could begin its work as early as the end of the year. He had earlier said its status would be on a par with the UN forums like the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague.
The ICJ, also known as the world court, is the top body for solving disputes between member states under international law.
The convention signing ceremony was attended by representatives from nearly 50 countries and 20 organisations, including the UN.
Yueming Yan, a law professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the new organisation was a complementary mechanism to existing institutions like the ICJ and the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
“While the ICJ and PCA focus on adjudication and arbitration, IOMED introduces a structured, institutionalised form of alternative dispute resolution – namely, mediation – on a global scale,” she said.
Although many details about the new body were yet to be clarified, it could open the door for greater synergy between formal litigation or arbitration and more flexible methods like mediation, she said.
Shahla Ali, a law professor at the University of Hong Kong, said the International Organisation for Mediation would have the capacity to mediate disputes between states, between a state and a national of another state or in international commercial disputes.
“Conventions can provide opportunities to experiment with new approaches," she said, noting rising interest in mediation globally as a means to resolve investor-state disputes.
