(MENAFN- Swissinfo) While Switzerland's attendance at the launch of a Beijing-led global mediation institute added gravitas, questions remain on whether the Chinese initiative will be seen as a break out effort to curb conflict or an attempt to undermine Western rivals. This content was published on July 11, 2025 - 09:00 7 minutes

From cross-strait relations (political and economic relations between China and Taiwan), the US-China rivalry, Sino-Swiss relations, China and its political structures to adaptive development and technological innovation, I report on foreign affairs and their possible impact on Swiss/Chinese politics, economics and society. A former journalist in Beijing, I am interested in China and its political structures, adaptive development and technological innovation. I studied journalism and communication in China and in Switzerland. Since joining SWI swissinfo in 2015, I have developed a keen interest in international affairs with a focus on China's relations with other countries/blocs and where Switzerland stands.

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China has grand plans to set up what it hopes will be the first worldwide body to resolve international disputes through mediation. The response so far only underscores the gulf between allies of Western powers and countries that see Asia's growing economic giant as a counterweight.

A total of 85 nations from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe attended a launch ceremony on May 30 for the International Organization for MediationExternal link (IOMed) in Hong Kong, China's Foreign Ministry saidExternal link . Of those, just over 30 signed a convention on the creation of the institution. Serbia and Belarus were reportedly the sole European signatories.

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Some see opportunities. Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis who was invited by China, told delegatesExternal link that his country supports initiatives that offer“pragmatic solutions” within a stable international order.

Others say the new body's focus on voluntary agreements could unstick disputes where a legal route has failed, or better represent countries that lack a voice on the world stage. Still, the question remains whether China, at a time of tension with the West, can persuade substantially more nations to sign up to its plan, and overcome suspicions it's trying to supplant already established arbitration courts built by geopolitical rivals.

Fear of being seen to take sides

“Many states may wish to avoid being seen as taking sides,” said Xinyu Yuan, a researcher in Chinese global governance at the Geneva Graduate Institute.“Signing a China-led agreement could be perceived as aligning.”

Beijing's standing committee of the national legislature approved the convention on June 27 and indicated it wouldn't bring World Trade Organization disputes to IOMed, the South China Morning Post reported, citing the state-run Xinhua news agency.

While a full list of founding membersExternal link hasn't been officially released, Dana Landau, co-head and senior researcher in mediation at Basel-based conflict-reduction foundation Swisspeace, said 33 countries signed the convention in Hong Kong.

The prominent presence of Switzerland, with its history of over a century of mediating disputes in an observer role helped burnish the launch. Still, signatories were primarily from the so-called Global SouthExternal link , a term used to group countries with generally lower average income, including many with a history of being colonised by European empires.

Ignazio Cassis visited Hong Kong for the launch of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed). In his speech, he underlined Swiss neutrality and firm commitment to promoting peaceful conflict resolution through discreet and pragmatic mediation. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

Switzerland and others involved in dispute resolution have faced tectonic shifts, including growing geopolitical rivalry and an erosion of international rules and the bodies that enforce them, according to Landau of Swisspeace.“All of this has made Switzerland's mediation efforts more difficult in many contexts,” she said.

In recent years, Switzerland's offers of its good offices have been snubbed on numerous occasions :

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