Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing has all along called for efforts to address disagreements with mutual understanding, build consensus via dialogue, promote development through win-win cooperation, and tackle issues with a future-oriented perspective.
He emphasised the need to resolve conflicts through dialogue and mediate disputes through consultation at a signing ceremony in Wan Chai for the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation, headquartered in Hong Kong.
“The birth of the [organisation] can help transcend the ‘you lose, I win, zero sum’ mentality, promote the amicable resolution of international disputes, and foster more harmonious international relations,” Wang said
He also called on everyone to uphold fairness and justice and to place more emphasis on developing countries and the Global South.
The senior Beijing official hailed Hong Kong as a success story of the peaceful settlement of international disputes, citing the territory’s return to the motherland.
“The city enjoys exceptional advantages in international mediation,” Wang said, citing, “for example, its affinity to the motherland and connection to the world, its enabling business environment, its highly developed legal system, and its strength in both common law and civil law.”
Wang said the new organisation, which he described as a “rising star”, will grow together with Hong Kong as the Pearl of the Orient.
The top diplomat was the first signatory of the convention, followed by senior officials from more than 30 countries to become founding members of the body.
Senior representatives from more than 50 countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe, and from some 20 international bodies, including the United Nations, attended the ceremony.
A forum will be held on Friday afternoon following the ceremony to discuss topics such as mediation of disputes among countries and of international investment and commercial disputes.
