
China Mocks Itself With Own World Court? Beijing To Serve Int'l Justice In Hong Kong
China has just launched its own version of the International Court of Justice and it's headquartered in the heart of Hong Kong. But who exactly is expected to accept Beijing as a neutral arbiter of global justice? And what does it mean when the court is built in a city where pro-democracy protests were crushed, and freedom of speech curbed? In this episode of Grey Zone, Ananya Dutta breaks down China's new "International Organization for Mediation." Who are the 32 countries backing it? Why is Russia missing from the list? And what is China really offering — a fairer system for the Global South, or a new global bench where it plays the judge, jury, and executioner? This story isn't just about a building in Hong Kong — it's about a potential new world order. The question is: is China filling a vacuum — or building one of its own?
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Cambodia says to file complaint with ICJ over Thai border dispute
Cambodia: will file a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over border disputes with Thailand, Prime Minister Hun Manet said Monday, after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a recent frontier clash. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Cambodia hopes that the Thai side will agree with Cambodia to jointly bring these issues to the International Court of Justice... to prevent armed confrontation again over border uncertainty," Hun Manet said during a meeting between MPs and senators. Military clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted in 2008 and have led to several years of sporadic violence, resulting in at least 28 deaths. The most recent occurred Wednesday, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a location known as the Emerald Triangle - a joint border area between Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. The day after, Cambodia's foreign ministry sent a letter to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh demanding "an immediate and thorough investigation" into the "unprovoked attack". Describing the incident as "a violation of Cambodian sovereignty", Phnom Penh said it remained committed to resolving the issue through "peaceful and diplomatic avenues". Prime Minister Hun Manet said that even if the Thai side did not agree on bringing the issue to the ICJ, Cambodia would still file the complaint. He added that the border dispute was being "incited by small extremist groups in both countries", which could lead to further clashes. Thailand's ministry of foreign affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP. Cambodia's military had said they were attacked first in Wednesday's incident, while the Thai side said their soldiers were responding to gunshots. The Thai and Cambodian militaries met the following day, agreeing to ease tensions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Thailand says a Joint Boundary Committee will meet in the next two weeks to resolve the issue. The Emerald Triangle is among the areas that will be named in the ICJ complaint, Hun Manet said. Another is Ta Moan Thom Temple, the backdrop for a video posted on social media earlier this year showing a woman singing a patriotic Khmer song which led to Bangkok lodging a formal protest to Phnom Penh. Cambodia and Thailand have long been at odds over their more than 800-kilometre-long (500-mile) border, which was largely drawn during the French occupation of Indochina. The 2008 military clashes erupted over a patch of land next to Preah Vihear Temple, a 900-year-old structure near their shared border. This led to several years of sporadic violence before the International Court of Justice ruled the disputed area belonged to Cambodia.


Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
China plans $70 bn capex to fast-track infrastructure projects
China plans to allocate ¥500 billion ($70 billion) of capital that could be leveraged up to fast track new infrastructure projects as authorities seek to cushion the economy from US tariffs, according to people familiar with the matter. Under the so-called " new financing policy tool ," the nation's three policy banks will raise funds and buy stakes in projects, one of the people said, asking not to be identified discussing a private matter. The policy lenders may issue bonds or use other methods to tap financing, according to the person. The initial capital injection of ¥500 billion could amplify total investments by multiple times that amount, since it allows the projects to raise additional bank loans or other forms of financing, the person said. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Mediation Body in Hong Kong China signed a convention on Friday setting up a global mediation body in Hong Kong, which aims to be comparable to organisations such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Beijing has taken a more proactive approach in international affairs in recent years, especially as the US has taken the opposite direction under President Donald Trump. Live Events The move is also seen as an attempt to shore up Hong Kong's reputation as a leading place to conduct business, after Beijing's imposition of a wide-ranging national security law in 2020 shook confidence in the impartiality of the city's legal system.


India.com
3 days ago
- India.com
China to challenge the UN? Xi Jinping makes big move, Beijing establishes world's first...
China has established the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) in Hong Kong. (File) International Organization for Mediation (IOMed): The United Nations (UN) has been largely unsuccessful in resolving any major conflicts in the past few decades, such as the Israel-Hamas war, the Russia-Ukraine war, and even failed to deter countries like Pakistan from supporting terror groups on its soil. All these failures have raised questions about UN's efficacy and utility in the modern geopolitical scenario, with many describing the global body as 'toothless', and demanding a restructuring of its workings. China to challenge the UN? Now, China may have just taken the first step in replacing UN as the world's foremost arbitration/mediation body, as Beijing has set up an international mediation group in Hong Kong, which includes more than 30 countries, including Pakistan, Indonesia, Belarus, Laos, Cambodia, and Cuba, whose representatives signed the treaty to become the founding members of the new China-led organization. According to reports, representatives of about 50 other countries and 20 organizations, including the United Nations, attended the inauguration ceremony of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed), at its newly-established headquarters in Hong Kong. China will play mediator Speaking at the event, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing has long been advocating resolving differences via mutual understanding and building consensus through dialogue. Yi said China's role in body would be to provide mediation in conflicts between countries, and stated that purpose of the body is to promote amicable resolution of international disputes to foster harmonious relations among nations. He said the scope of cases that would be handled include disputes between countries, between a country and nationals of another country and between private international entities, Reuters reported. 'World's first inter-governmental legal organization' Notably, Beijing has described IOMed as world's first inter-governmental legal organization which aims to resolve disputes through arbitration, and act as a mechanism to safeguard principles enshrined in the UN Charter. The organization will begin operations by the end of this year, according to Hong Kong leader John Lee. According to experts, China hopes that its new global organization will be on par with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and also bolster the credentials of Hong Kong as a global centre of arbitration of disputes among countries, akin to The Hague. Earlier this week, John Lee said the body's status would be on part with the ICJ and the Permanent Court of Arbitration of the United Nations in The Hague, according to Reuters.