An international mediation center for commercial affairs opened at the Hainan International Arbitration Court in south China's Hainan Province on Monday.

The center will resolve disputes over civil and commercial affairs between natural persons, legal persons and other organizations of equal legal status at home and abroad. These will include issues such as disputes over contracts and property rights and interests.

About one-third of the mediators are employed from abroad to provide professional and international mediation services covering a wide range of areas, according to the center.

Considered a further step in Hainan's deepening reform, the move is aimed at helping to create a convenient, law-based and international business environment in the Hainan free-trade port.

From the perspective of overseas business entities, a sound and improved dispute mediation and arbitration mechanism is an important benchmark of the local business environment, said Wang Xuelin, chairman of the Hainan International Arbitration Court.

"It will build international investors' confidence in Hainan to smooth mediation and arbitration channels and effectively connect processes of mediation with arbitration and litigation," said Wang.