Photo: VCG

The inauguration ceremony for the International Organization for Mediation Preparatory Office was held on Thursday in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), with staunch support from the central government. Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee sent a letter to express his warm congratulations on the inauguration of the preparatory office on Thursday.

The office in HKSAR is to carry out the preparatory work for the establishment of the International Organization for Mediation, as per the joint statement on its future establishment signed in 2022. This significant international initiative promotes the use of mediation for resolving international conflicts in a friendly and amicable manner, according to the HKSAR.

The world is now in a new round of turbulence and transformation. Unilateralism, the Cold War mentality and bullying acts are on the rise, Wang said in the letter. "As a responsible major country, China has always acted as a builder of world peace, a defender of the international order and a provider of public goods, and actively explored the pathways to peaceful resolution of international disputes under the new circumstances," Wang said.

Mediation is rooted in traditional Chinese culture and widely appreciated by many countries in the world, Wang noted. China has worked with relevant countries to jointly initiate the organization, in an effort to tackle differences through peaceful means, resolve disputes through dialogue and consultations, and reject zero-sum games with mutual benefits, said Wang.

In order to meet the development trend and demand of international mediation, China drafted and reached a joint statement with countries sharing similar views and decided to initiate and establish the international court of conciliation, specializing in providing mediation services and offering friendly, flexible, economic and convenient solutions to all kinds of international disputes.

"Such an initiative echoes the international community's strong call for peace, security, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation," Wang said in the letter.

Experts have noted that the organization provides a new platform for the peaceful settlement of international disputes , meeting the international community's need for neutral and professional mediation mechanisms.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang also delivered a speech via video at the inauguration ceremony. The organization will be the world's first intergovernmental legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation, said Qin.

Global Times