The International Mediation Institute, headquartered in Hong Kong, China, held its opening ceremony on the 20th. Nearly 200 representatives from signatory countries and various sectors of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region attended the ceremony. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Hua Chunying stated in her speech that in just five months, the International Mediation Institute has achieved the signing, entry into force, and operation of the convention, which is very rare in the history of international organization construction. This fully demonstrates that the International Mediation Institute conforms to the trend of the times and has received widespread support from the international community. She pointed out that the concept of the International Court of Mediation is highly compatible with global governance initiatives, injecting positive energy of the rule of law into the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind, and also helping Hong Kong build a "city of mediation". She welcomes more countries to actively join and fully utilize the International Mediation Institute to make new contributions to the peaceful resolution of international disputes. Zheng Ruohua, Secretary General of the International Mediation Institute, stated in his speech that the institute values and practices multilateralism, and is committed to becoming a global public good and important pillar in the field of peaceful resolution of international disputes. The International Court of Mediation aims to provide mediation services for disputes between countries, international investment disputes, and international commercial disputes. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam stated in her speech that it is an honor for Hong Kong to be the headquarters of the International Mediation Institute. Hong Kong enjoys the advantage of being backed by the motherland and connected to the world, while upholding a long tradition of the rule of law. Hong Kong will further leverage its role as a "super contact person" and "super value-added person" to support the development of the International Mediation Court and dispute resolution industry. The representatives of Nicaragua, Venezuela, Congo (Brazzaville), Kiribati, Pakistan, Kenya, Dominica and other contracting parties pointed out in their speeches that the establishment of the International Mediation Institute embodies the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, fills the gap in the mechanism of international mediation, and is an important rule of law public good provided for improving global governance. They highly appreciate the importance of the International Mediation Institute and look forward to using it as a platform to promote peaceful resolution of international disputes and contribute to building a more just and reasonable international order. The signing ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of an International Mediation Court was held on May 30, 2025, and the Convention officially came into effect on August 29, 2025. As of now, the total number of signatory countries has reached 37. Eight countries, including China, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Congo (Brazzaville), Kiribati, Pakistan, Kenya, and Dominica, have ratified the convention. The headquarters building of the International Mediation Institute was formerly known as the Old Wan Chai Police Station, a historic building in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The headquarters is equipped with advanced conference and discussion rooms for conducting mediation work and capacity building. (New Society)