by Xinhua writer Wang Xinyi
HONG KONG, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's status as a global business headquarters magnet has been underscored by renewed capital confidence and economic vitality, business insiders and heads of international organizations recently told Xinhua.
The city's stock market opened the year 2026 with gains, and S&P Global data showed its business environment in the fourth quarter of 2025 reached its strongest quarterly level in two years, driven by improved demand in both local and export markets.
In recent years, a growing number of international organizations and multinational institutions have established headquarters, core hubs or regional operations in Hong Kong. Leveraging unique institutional advantages, strategic location and dynamic economic ecosystem, the city has reaffirmed its role as a key node in the global economic network, spanning areas from intellectual property commercialization and international dispute resolution to shipping hub upgrading and green transition efforts.
Founded in 2014, the International Intellectual Property Commercialization Council (IIPCC) is a global, apolitical, nonpartisan and nonprofit NGO that provides a platform to unlock IP's commercial value. It selected the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as its global headquarters following a rigorous evaluation by European and American industry professionals.
"Amid accelerating global changes, Hong Kong's unique advantage of connecting the Chinese mainland with the world endows it with great potential to better serve global communities," said Johnson Kong, a Chinese-American co-founder and board member of the council.
He noted that the NGO completed its registration smoothly with professional advice alone, without seeking assistance from the HKSAR government, citing the city's sound legal environment and international service system as key enablers.
Rooted in Hong Kong for over a decade, the IIPCC collaborated with the World Intellectual Property Organization on trade secrets work in 2025, promoted grassroots IP awareness through dozens of global chapters, co-hosted annual IP conferences with universities and legal circles, and participated in APEC IP finance affairs, with a Hong Kong-based core team for IP securitization, showcasing local talent strengths.
Kong also believes that the city's under-construction Northern Metropolis, supported by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), will yield abundant IP outcomes, and that aligned IP standards will let Hong Kong leverage its financial center status to fund innovations.
This institutional appeal also shines in international dispute resolution, particularly regarding businesses. Founded as the world's first intergovernmental legal organization dedicated to resolving international disputes through mediation, the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) was officially inaugurated in Hong Kong on Oct. 20, 2025. Its global headquarters is based in a historic 1930s building, formerly the old Wan Chai Police Station.
"The presence of IOMed is aimed at complementing existing international dispute resolution services," said Teresa Cheng, the body's secretary-general, noting that the organization "fills an institutional gap in global mediation."
As a Hong Kong resident, Cheng expressed sincere gratitude to the central government for locating the IOMed's headquarters in the city. She described Hong Kong as an international metropolis with "a strong can-do spirit" and unique advantages, making it an ideal host for such an international body.
While mediation does not directly depend on litigation procedures, the rule of law is its critical pillar. Cheng believes that Hong Kong, drawing on the institutional strengths of "one country, two systems," serves as a "super-connector" and "super value-adder." Its robust legal framework, she noted, provides a firm underpinning for the stable operation of the IOMed.
As of now, 38 countries have signed the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation, with ten countries having completed the ratification process.
The IOMed takes it as its mission to mediate disputes between states or between a state and foreign investors, and international commercial disputes based on the will of relevant parties. It offers Global South countries a "cost-effective, time-efficient dispute resolution mechanism" that delivers "win-win" outcomes, Cheng said.
Hong Kong's core strengths also shine in the global drive for sustainability. Hong Kong, as a major international shipping, trade and financial center, has unique competitiveness in green shipping and is poised to become a promising center for green marine fuel bunkering and trading, said Emanuele Grimaldi, chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).
Leveraging the strengths of the "one country, two systems" policy, Hong Kong integrates the dynamism of the Chinese mainland's market with the institutional advantages of a common law framework aligned with international rules and norms. Amid global shipping challenges including geopolitical conflicts, deglobalization and energy transformation, Hong Kong's open, collaborative and practical approach has injected stability and confidence into the industry, he said.
The Hong Kong Shipping Registry ranks fourth in the world in terms of gross tonnage. Hong Kong-registered vessels have a consistently low detention rate of just 0.69 percent under worldwide Port State Control inspections, far below the global average of 3.30 percent.
Together with the Hong Kong branch of the China Shipowners Mutual Insurance Association, Hong Kong is the second largest maritime P&I insurance centre in the world outside London. In November 2025, the city established its first locally headquartered shipowners' mutual P&I club, further improving the maritime insurance ecosystem.
Policy certainty has underpinned the shipping industry's decarbonization. Tax breaks, regulatory tweaks and policy guidance are all part of Hong Kong's strategy to nudge the sector towards sustainability, noted the ICS chairman.
Grimaldi expressed hope that Hong Kong will continue to upgrade its port and optimize shore power facilities, integrate deeply with the GBA's industrial chain advantages, and collaborate with other regional ports for a green maritime shift. ■
