‘The Global Times’: China to establish International Organization for Mediation in Hong Kong – this is a challenge to the Court in The Hague

With a signing ceremony for establishing the headquarters of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) scheduled for Friday in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee expressed his gratitude on Tuesday for granting the city such an important international status as an international legal and dispute resolution services center in the Asia-Pacific region.

The IOMed is a high-level international organization, with a status equivalent to that of the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Lee said.

It serves as an international institution dedicated to the peaceful resolution of disputes through mediation, in line with the principles set out in the United Nations Charter.

On Friday, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will attend the signing ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation in Hong Kong, China, according to an earlier announcement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Aimed at settling differences and resolving disputes through mediation, the IOMed will be the world's first intergovernmental legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation, and will serve as an important mechanism in safeguarding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Mao Ning, spokesperson of the ministry, said at a press conference on May 20.

Hong Kong's mature common law system, internationalized judicial environment and abundance of legal professionals well-versed in international law and mediation mechanisms provide a solid foundation for the IOMed, Willy Fu, a law professor who is also director of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

With a focus on peaceful negotiation, the IOMed offers a more efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional litigation, aligning with the global trend toward cooperative governance, Fu said, noting that leveraging its rule-of-law strengths, international connectivity and strong national support, Hong Kong is well-positioned to help the institute evolve into a credible global platform.

Hong Kong’s status as an international hub for dispute resolution services is set to be further cemented by the establishment of a global mediation centre, which Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu says, will be “on par with the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration” in The Hague.

The idea to establish the International Organisation for Mediation (IOM) was first unveiled in 2022, with the new centre viewed as an intergovernmental platform designed to resolve disputes by drawing on Hong Kong’s common law system and its well-established alternative dispute resolution infrastructure.

The global arbitration community already views Hong Kong as a major player. The 2025 International Arbitration Survey by Queen Mary University of London ranked the city joint first with Singapore in the Asia-Pacific, and joint second globally, behind only London, as the most preferred seat of arbitration.

This Friday’s official signing ceremony is expected to attract representatives from nearly 60 countries spanning Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. Around 20 international organisations will also be in attendance and, following the ceremony, a forum will convene to examine dispute resolution in cross-border contexts, particularly in relation to international investment conflicts. During the launch of the organisation’s preparatory office in 2023, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan, Laos, Cambodia, Serbia, Belarus, Sudan, Algeria and Djibouti had expressed support for the initiative.

“This also shows the central government’s strong backing for Hong Kong under the 14th Five-Year Plan to develop into an international legal and dispute resolution services centre for the Asia-Pacific region,” Lee concluded.

The MFA stated that no international intergovernmental organization currently specializes in mediation despite the growing demand for mediation in the global community. Therefore, China and various foreign states jointly drafted and signed the “Joint Statement on the Future Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation” (the “Joint Statement”), deciding to initiate the establishment of the IOMed to provide mediation services. The membership of the IOMed will maintain openness and inclusiveness.

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