The establishment of IOMed represents a significant effort by Beijing to use Hong Kong as a platform for creating alternative international institutions that could challenge Western-dominated global governance structures. IOMed also fits with efforts by the city’s authorities to promote Hong Kong as a hub for business and emerging technologies. These initiatives come at a time when Hong Kong's international image has been severely damaged by Beijing's political crackdowns and the erosion of the “One Country, Two Systems” framework, making the timing strategically important for rehabilitation efforts. 

These efforts to promote Hong Kong as an international business, legal, and technological center also come amidst the fact that the city has experienced sustained economic stagnation since its handover, with investor confidence rocked by Beijing's increasing control over all aspects of life in the territory in ways that make economic diversification through legal services particularly crucial. Hong Kong's Justice Secretary Paul Lam framed IOMed as helping Hong Kong cope with challenges from “hostile external forces” attempting to “de-internationalise and de-functionalise” it, revealing how authorities view this as a defensive measure against international isolation. However, the success of this initiative will likely depend on whether the international legal community views IOMed as genuinely independent or merely as another instrument of Chinese influence, which could ultimately undermine rather than enhance Hong Kong's credibility as an international arbitration center.