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South China Morning Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
For Hong Kong's mediation body to be on par with The Hague, more must be done
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@ or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification With China signing a convention to set up the International Organisation for Mediation in Hong Kong, the city has an extraordinary opportunity to cement its international status amid geopolitical turmoil. As Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi suggested, the IOMed is meant to give the Global South more confidence in resolving disputes. Hong Kong has always been a top choice for commercial arbitration, and its professionalism and adaptability to international norms will provide a firm underpinning for the IOMed. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu even said the IOMed would be on par with the international courts in The Hague. Yet the success story of The Hague is built upon favourable historical developments and its proximity to other international bodies in Europe. While Hong Kong does have the corresponding networks and reputation, it would take years, if not decades, of consistent efforts to reach the same level of prominence as The Hague. Moreover, a focus on representing the Global South might mean moving away from the Eurocentric mindset, and finding a balance would require much trial and error. Ironically, Western interests must also be accommodated for the IOMed to be truly international.
South China Morning Post
06-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong well-placed to referee commercial sports disputes
Hong Kong is taking another important step towards becoming a go-to destination for dispute resolution. A month after launching its first legal body to solve international disputes through mediation before a neutral third party, Hong Kong is inviting proposals to run a two-year pilot programme for sports dispute arbitration. The convention signed by 33 countries to establish the Hong Kong-based International Organisation for Mediation is a groundbreaking China-led initiative to promote amicable dispute resolution. Hopefully, before too long, dispute resolution by formal mediation can also be extended to the sports sector. Few sectors can match the growth of sport and its universal appeal across borders and cultural divides. Along with increasing commercialisation, this has created fertile ground for disputes at the elite level. Experts say the pilot two-year programme for sports dispute resolution is a key step towards a neutral intervention mechanism. The Department of Justice says it is seeking joint proposals from an administrator and a technology provider by July 31. Given Hong Kong's international standing in arbitration, a sports dispute resolution process would not have to start from scratch. The proposed pilot scheme follows a pledge in the chief executive's policy address in October to explore establishing such a system. Along with the new organisation for mediation, this can enhance Hong Kong's reputation as an international centre for dispute resolution. The increasingly commercialised sport sector is generating more diverse and complex disputes, leading to the creation of institutions to settle them. The leading example is the Court of Arbitration for Sport based in Switzerland.
South China Morning Post
14-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's global mediation centre open to developed nations, Western countries
Western and developed countries are welcome to use services offered by Hong Kong's newly established global mediation centre, a senior official has said, dismissing concerns over the institute's founding members being primarily developing nations. Advertisement Deputy Secretary for Justice Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan on Saturday also addressed the possible direct competition with other dispute resolution hubs, including Singapore, outlining Hong Kong's distinct advantages such as its 'one country, two systems' policy. Hong Kong's International Organisation for Mediation, established last month to create an intergovernmental platform for resolving global disputes, has 33 founding member countries including Algeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Belarus, Venezuela and Cuba. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also presided over the landmark signing ceremony. Asked on Saturday whether the centre's founding members comprised mainly developing countries, which could affect the perceived diversity of the convention, Cheung said all nations were welcome to use the services. Advertisement 'Many of the initiating countries are developing countries, or from the Global South,' Cheung told a radio programme.
South China Morning Post
31-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
‘Rising star' mediation body adds more shine to reputation of Hong Kong
The launching of the world's first legal body dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation is a groundbreaking and much-needed development at a time of heightened global tensions. A convention to establish the International Organisation for Mediation, based in Hong Kong, was signed by 33 countries yesterday at a ceremony attended by China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and representatives of more than 80 nations, plus global bodies. Wang said the initiative, led by China, would transcend a 'zero-sum mentality' and promote the amicable resolution of international disputes. The move reflects Beijing's efforts to settle differences through peaceful means and is intended to bring 'Chinese wisdom' to global governance at a time of instability. Wang highlighted Article 33 of the United Nations Charter, which requires states to use methods including mediation to resolve disputes. The organisation, due to open as early as this year, will fill a gap as other leading institutions around the world focus more on litigation or arbitration. There is growing interest in the use of mediation, where a neutral third party helps resolve differences in a way acceptable to both sides.
South China Morning Post
30-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
‘Transcend zero-sum mindsets': global legal body set up in Hong Kong
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP's journalism by subscribing . New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended a signing ceremony in Hong Kong on Friday morning to mark the establishment of the world's first intergovernmental legal body focused on mediation. Police deployed about 100 officers, including some from their counterterrorism unit, for the event. High-level representatives from nearly 60 countries and about 20 global organisations attended the ceremony at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Wan Chai. Renovation works are being carried out at the old Wan Chai Police Station, where the International Organisation for Mediation will have its headquarters. The site is expected to open by the end of this year or the beginning of 2026. Officials and legal experts have said that the new organisation will boost the city's standing as an international legal hub. Follow our live blog below for the latest updates from the ceremony. More from our coverage: Reporting by Jess Ma, Natalie Wong, Willa Wu, Harvey Kong and Joshua Kwok.
