Why Hong Kong is trying to make waves in global legal scene

Hong Kong will host the world’s first international legal organisation dedicated to mediation, with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi arriving in the city on Thursday to attend the signing ceremony the next day for the body’s inauguration.

Experts told the Post that the establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation would bolster Hong Kong’s status as a dispute resolution hub, enabling the city to handle disagreements between states, as well as those between investors and governments, amid increasingly fraught geopolitical tensions across the globe.

The Post takes a closer look at the organisation’s significance for Hong Kong and how mediation differs from other legal methods in resolving conflicts.

1. What is the International Organisation for Mediation?

Announced in 2022, the International Organisation for Mediation is designed to create an intergovernmental platform for resolving global disputes.

Beijing earlier said the country and “nearly 20 like-minded” nations had jointly initiated the establishment of the body.

Legal experts said the new organisation would address disputes that involved states and investors.

Professor Shahla Ali, a dispute resolution specialist and associate dean at the University of Hong Kong’s faculty of law, said the body could address three types of disputes: those between states; those between a state and a foreign national; and those between companies based in different jurisdictions.

Hong Kong Bar Association chairman Jose-Antonio Maurellet said disputes between states in areas such as trade and intellectual property could require mediation.