China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, will visit Hong Kong next Friday to attend a ceremony linked to a mediation organisation established in the city with Beijing’s backing.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that Wang would attend the signing ceremony of the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation on May 30.
Announced in 2022, the international body headquartered in Hong Kong was designed to leverage the city’s common law heritage and its expertise as a dispute resolution centre to create an intergovernmental platform for resolving disagreements.
Wang, the country’s foreign minister and a member of the Politburo, the Communist Party’s leadership, wrote a letter two years ago giving the organisation his blessing during the opening of its preparatory office, calling it part of China’s efforts to promote world peace.
Located at the former Wan Chai police station, the organisation’s headquarters has received more than HK$460 million (US$58.8 million) in funding for refurbishment.
