How's this: Hong Kong recognized on world stage as an international city

Mark Pinkstone/Former Chief Information Officer of HK government

The words of China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi were loud and clear. The results of Hong Kong becoming a Special Administrative Region of China came about after successful negotiations between two sovereign states.

During the signing ceremony for the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) to be headquartered in Hong Kong, Wang cited Hong Kong as a success story of the peaceful settlement for international disputes.

"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.

And in the words of Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, the IOMed will become the world's first intergovernmental international legal organisation dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation.

“It also reflects our shared confidence in mediation as a peaceful means to maintain international peace and security, as stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations,” he said

Wang said the new organisation, as a "rising star", will grow together with Hong Kong as the Pearl of the Orient.

Indeed, Hong Kong is well positioned to be the headquarters of such an august body that parallels only with the United Nations, which had representatives attending the signing ceremony.

Also attending the ceremony were representatives from 60 countries and some 20 related organisations.

Moreover, the choice of Hong Kong as the headquarters of IOMed was endorsed from various world leaders attending the signing ceremony.

Minister for Foreign Affairs in Thailand, Surakiart Sathirathai said Hong Kong has the reputation, a very positive one, with a world-renowned legal infrastructure and judicial system. “Hong Kong has an international reputation for being the centre for various dispute resolutions and Hong Kong has an excellent personality with international reputation. I think Hong Kong, of course, is well positioned to host this headquarters of IOMed,” he said.

His words were echoed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Mohammad Ishaq Dar who said that the signing ceremony not only marked the beginning of a new era in international mediation and diplomacy, but also the birth of an important global institution to support the principles of multilateralism and mediation. “I must also commend the choice of Hong Kong as headquarters of the newly established organization as a ‘super connector’ and ‘super value-adder’ where East meets West. This dynamic city is well poised for this transformational journey,” he said.

Despite what the US administration and its western followers continually sprout poisonous rhetoric to decry Hong Kong, the city still reigns supreme as an international entity due to its rule of law and legal system as well as its infallible ability to get things done under the most trying circumstances. They are simply jealous of Hong Kong’s ability to achieve success where they fail to make any movements forward.

Hong Kong’s location in the centre of Asia and as the gateway to China makes it accessible to all major markets in the region. It is also home to some 1,400 foreign companies that have established their regional headquarters in Hong Kong as well as some 10,000 foreign companies have set up shop in Hong Kong. Its financial sector is second to none in the region.

Of course Hong Kong already offers expertise in the fields of mediation with the Hong Kong Mediation Centre (HKMC), established in 1999 as the first professional mediation organisation recognised as a charitable institution in Hong Kong. It has more than 1,000 members from various professional sectors and plays a leading role in the mediation industry. So, for more than 20 years, the centre has strived to promote the development of mediation through its diverse services, aiming to create a harmonious community. Apart from professional mediation services provision, its scope of services extends to areas such as professional training, professionalisation, public education and external collaboration.

According to this year's International Arbitration Survey, Hong Kong is the most preferred seat of arbitration in the Asia-Pacific region and shares second place globally with Singapore. Hong Kong’s economy also came first in "business legislation" and "international trade" in the World Competitiveness Yearbook. And in the latest Business Ready Report published by the World Bank Group, Hong Kong ranks eighth in "dispute resolution" among the 50 economies covered.

Mark Pinkstone

** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **

Ninety legislators will be sworn into office this week, 35 of whom will be taking the oath of office for the first time. It will be a combined act of patriotism, a far cry from the swearing in ceremony in 2016 when four potential lawmakers created their own oaths advocating self-determination and were subsequently disqualified from office.

The western media, including some in Hong Kong, brand “patriotism” as a bad thing for Hong Kong, inferring that there is no “opposition” in the legislature. But they are wrong. The legislators have their own mind and will vote according to their conscience.

Four pieces of legislation proposed by the government have not passed the test and were voted out while many others were heavily debated by the legislators. Regardless of what London’s Guardian newspaper and others say, Hong Kong does have a meaningful opposition.

It is unfortunate that the local Democratic Party, seen by the west as the “opposition,” did not field any candidates in the recent elections and eventually closed down. The choice was theirs and their recent actions indicate they did not intend to follow the rules of the council.

The Legislative Council is a place where lawmakers are elected to serve the people, not to use it as a platform for subversion as had happened in the past.

In 2017 four lawmakers – Long Hair Leung Kwok-hung, Nathan Law, Lau Siu-lai and Edward Yiu – were stripped of their seats for failing to take their oaths of office in a “sincere and solemn” manner. They used props and amended the oath to suit their purpose. Others followed, including student Agnes Chow who also failed taking the oath of office but later jailed on subversion charges. The quartet’s disqualification followed the highly publicized ousting of two localist lawmakers, Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching, whose oath-takings involved anti-China banners and usage of derogatory wartime slurs for China.

Together, the quartet had mustered 185,727 votes in the 2016 elections and their selfishness left their followers void of leadership. Their actions were that of self-interest, to achieve their own hidden goals, and not to serve the people who put them in the seats of power. They abused their positions.

Obviously foreign forces had infiltrated the legislature and political unrest ensued as attempts were being made to unseat the base of Hong Kong’s parliament. In July 2020 the government announced that the nominations for 15 candidates were declared invalid due to their objection to the national security law or were sincere in statements involving separatism. And on November 11, 2020, Dennis Kwok, a founding member of the Civic Party and a representative of the legal profession in the council, was accused of delaying the legislative proceedings and passage of bills and was subsequently disqualified along with follow lawmakers Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung. Just hours later 15 fellow lawmakers resigned in protest.

Kwok was later charged with collusion and fled to Canada and then to the US with a HK$1 million bounty on his head.

The festering germ of dissent even spread to the local district councils who also used their positions to undermine the government.

It had to stop and in March 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (SCNPC) approved changes to the Hong Kong’s electoral system allowing only patriots to serve the government and the people of Hong Kong.

What publications like Hong Kong Free Press, The Washington Post, London’s Financial Times etc. don’t understand is that Hong Kong is a target by the five-eyes network of spies and clandestine operators, led by the US and including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The ultimate target is, of course, China. By crippling Hong Kong and especially its law-making process, it can cripple China and hamper its progressive growth.

These publications will continue to use Hong Kong “Patriots only” legislature as a slur, not as a compliment. It’s in their DNA to be anti-Hong Kong/China. They are the vehicles of the west to bring discord to Hong Kong with total disregard to fact.

But “patriots only” apply to every democracy in the world. No place could be more patriotic than the US where the stars and stripes (the US flag) hang from the porches of almost every household. And legislators in all democracies have to swear allegiances to the country and their constitution. And like Hong Kong, they are vetted to ensure their allegiances are true to the country before standing for election.