2026.06.04
On June 2–3, the "Second International Peace Mediation Forum: Regional Conflicts and Global Mediation Coordination," hosted by Grandview Institution (GVI), was held at the New World Hotel in Beijing. Representatives from UN agencies, international organizations, embassies in China, think tanks, universities, and professional mediation institutions gathered together for in-depth exchanges on regional conflicts, peace mediation, and international coordination.
In Beijing in June, summer is slowly settling in. For many, this is just an ordinary early-summer moment. But for participants converging from around the world, these two days together represented a rare opportunity for sharing and listening. Some had just completed long-haul flights; some arrived with years of experience in international mediation work; and others came hoping to find fresh inspiration through the collision of different perspectives.
The current international landscape is complex and fluid, with regional flashpoints emerging one after another. "Peace mediation" is no longer merely a concept in diplomatic rhetoric, but has become a practical issue of growing concern to the international community. It is precisely for this reason that the forum attracted participants from different countries and diverse professional backgrounds, all eager to share observations and experiences and to explore possibilities for dialogue and cooperation.
Before the session began, the venue was already filled with conversations in different languages. Some spoke of ongoing regional conflicts, others shared their personal experiences in peace processes, and still others offered reflections on the future of the international order. Though their identities and experiences varied, they were brought together by a shared concern: in a world facing growing uncertainties, what ways can still be found to prevent conflict from escalating and to preserve space for peace?
Over the course of two days, discussions ranged from the prospects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict to hotspot issues in Asia, from the development of international mediation mechanisms to lessons and insights drawn from specific cases. Some shared difficult moments in mediation efforts, some reviewed the complex calculations behind ceasefire agreements, and others explored the role of emerging institutions such as the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) in future global governance. Viewpoints were not always in full agreement, but exchanges remained candid and open throughout.
One detail stood out during the forum: regardless of which country or which type of institution they came from, many speakers all mentioned "listening" in their remarks. In the discourse system of international politics, this may not seem like a grand term, yet it lies at the very foundation of mediation work. Peace rarely arrives when positions are most entrenched—it emerges when there is a willingness to understand one another and to hear one another.
Outside the conference hall, the afternoon sunlight streamed through the glass windows into the lobby. The casual exchanges during coffee breaks, the lively debates around roundtables, and the conversations that continued long after the sessions ended—all formed the most authentic picture of the forum. Many questions, of course, could not be answered in just two days. But as participants shared, peace is never a sudden arrival at a single moment—it accumulates gradually, through one dialogue after another, one act of understanding after another, one patient negotiation after another. In an era of profound differences, dialogue itself may well be where hope begins. (Written by: Wang Fei, Department of External Cooperation, Grandview Institution)
Partial List of Participants
— Foreign Participants (in alphabetical order by last name)
Akiko Horiba, Director, Center for Mediation Support, Sasakawa Peace Foundation
Alex Virtanen, Head of Asian Affairs, CMI
Arianna Gazze, Asia Lead, Inter Mediate, UK
Boris Kelecevic, Deputy Director of the East Asia Delegation, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Ilango Karuppannan, Former Malaysian Ambassador, Adjunct Senior Fellow, RSIS
Janel B. Galvanek, Head, General Regional Peace Support, Berghof Foundation
Janne Taalas, CEO, CMI
Katrina Abatis, Lead for Asian Affairs, Dialogue Department, Geneva Centre for Security Policy
Kenji Kanasugi, Japanese Ambassador to China
Krystyna Marty Lang, Ambassador of Switzerland to China
Michael Siebert, former EEAS Managing Director for Russia, Eastern partnership, Central Asia, Regional cooperation and OSCE
Mikko Kinunen, Finnish Ambassador to China
Mikko Patokallio, Senior Manager, Eurasia programme, CMI
Mockbul Ali OBE, Senior Adviser and Deputy Executive Director, Inter Mediate
Pavlo Klimkin, Former Foreign Minister, Ukraine
Phil Goff, Former Foreign Minister, Former Defense Minister, Former Leader of Labor Party, New Zealand
Raymond Huo, Former chairperson of the Justice Committee, New Zealand Parliament
Saana Keskitalo, Senior Manager, Multilateralism Affairs and Peacemaking Policy, CMI
Simone Ceresa, Co-founder, 3IM
Soeung Rathchavy, Cambodian Ambassador to China
Sophie Muller, Representative in China, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Stryzhak Oleksandra, Research Fellow, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Vebjørn Dysvik, Ambassador of Norway to China
— Chinese Participants (in alphabetical order by last name)
Chen Qi, Director of the Center for China-U.S. Studies, Tsinghua University
Di Dongsheng, Dean, School of Global and Area Studies, Renmin University of China
Ding Jianwei, Former News Counsellor, Chinese embassy in Ukraine
Gao Fei, President of China Foreign Affairs University
Li Wei, Executive Deputy Director of Shaanxi Institute of International Studies
Liu Xiaobo, Director of Maritime Studies Center, GVI
Liu Yuechuan, Associate Professor, School of Foreign Legal Studies, East China University of Political Science and Law
Luo Gang, Deputy Director of the Marine Rights and Law Research Office, Institute of Marine Development Strategy, Ministry of Natural Resources
Lv Xiaoyu, Associate Professor, School of International Relations, Peking University
Mao Jing, European Studies Center, GVI
Ren Libo, President, GVI
Rong Ying, Chair Professor at Sichuan University, Former Vice President of the China Institute of International Studies
Sun Jin, Deputy Secretary General, IOMed
Wang Zheng, Director of Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, Seton Hall University
Yao Yin, Project Manager of China Program, Center for Humanitarian Dialogue
Zou Pingxue, Director, Center for basic laws of HongKong and Macau Special Administrative Region, Shenzhen University
Zhang Danqiong, Chair of the Youth Roundtable of the International Peace Mediation Forum
Zhang Haohui, Co-Chairman of Grandview Institution&Chief President of the Federation of Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community Organization
Zhang Qingmin, Director of the Department of Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs Management
Zhang Yun, Professor, School of International Relations, Nanjing University
Zhou Bo, Researcher at the Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University
Zhou Rong, Director, Global South Studies Center, GVI