A mesmerizing sea of clouds swept over the volcano cluster in Yunzhou District of Datong City in north China's Shanxi Province on Wednesday, lending dreamlike beauty to the ancient landscape.
Aerial footage captured the terrain blanketed in dense clouds against the setting sun. The cloud formations in the footage moved dynamically across the volcanic terrain.
In the distance, Datong's urban skyline emerged partially obscured, with its buildings softened by the atmospheric conditions.
The scene presented a unique glance at the region's ancient geological features juxtaposed with its modern cityscape, both transformed by the sea of clouds.
Sea of clouds envelop volcano cluster in north China, creating breathtaking sight
The International Organization for Mediation (IOMed), the world's first intergovernmental legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation, fills an institutional gap in international mediation, the body's Secretary-General Teresa Cheng said.
In a recent interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Beijing, Cheng talked about the significance of IMOed's inauguration in October 2025.
"If we look at the United Nations Charter again, Article 33, we've provided for these forms of dispute resolution. Yet for 80 years, somehow there is not a body that is dedicated exclusively to mediation. And I think that triggered these 19 countries when they made their joint statement to say, let's establish such a body, so it is filling the institutional gap. The second thing is that it also complements the existing dispute resolution mechanisms. Litigation arbitration is at the moment still a prevailing form of dispute resolution, but the states see the need, also called upon by the UN Charter, to establish something exclusively for mediation to complement the existing systems," said Cheng. "There are a number of states, in particular those from the Global South, are very interested in having a say in the development of this new body. Therefore, through this organization, there are, as I said, 38 signatory states now. I think the world is in a very interesting stage at the moment. There are a lot of differences, sometimes views get entrenched. By having a body that brings into effect inclusivity multilateralism, and of course, accommodating and understanding each other through dialogue, is a very important feature." she said.
Housing the organization in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region(HKSAR) also showed China's willingness to contribute to international mediation, said Cheng.
"The fact that we are housed and placed in the Hong Kong SAR, part of China, is because China is willing to contribute to this development, and Hong Kong very generously allows us to put our headquarters in one of the heritage buildings in Hong Kong," she added.
IOMed fills institutional gap in international mediation: secretary-general
