Sister City Agreement — Palma de Mallorca & Ningbo

International institutional agreements are rarely complicated by lack of goodwill. They are complicated by each party arriving with a version of success that doesn't match the other's. This project began with two delegations — one from Palma de Mallorca, one from Ningbo — who wanted an agreement but didn't yet understand what the other side needed it to say.

PSC led the mediation and coordination effort, working alongside the Chinese Association of the Balearic Islands and the Government of Ningbo. The scope covered regulatory navigation across both jurisdictions, logistical organisation of the official delegation visit, and structured facilitation of every formal and informal exchange. All communication between the parties ran through PSC.

Miscommunication in high-stakes bilateral negotiations is routine. What breaks these projects is when miscommunication hardens into fixed positions. PSC's work was to stay close enough to both sides to understand what each actually needed — not just what they said they needed — and to find the ground where a real commitment was possible. Over six months, that work produced a signed agreement.