On April 27, the summary exchange meeting for the second “My Proposal for WTO Reform” essay competition and the seminar on “WTO Reform and Innovation,” supported and guided by the Department of WTO Affairs of the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and co-hosted by the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics (SUIBE) and the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), was held at SUIBE. Representatives from MOFCOM’s Department of WTO Affairs; Hong Xiaodong, former Director-General of that Department; Wang Rongming, President of SUIBE; Zhang Yiguo, Deputy Party Secretary of SUIBE; Tu Xinquan, Dean of the China Institute for WTO Studies at UIBE; Professor Ji Wenhua of UIBE’s School of Law; along with experts, scholars, and faculty–student representatives from many Chinese universities and research institutions, participated in discussions both offline and online.

Nearly one hundred submissions were received for this essay competition. After multiple rounds of anonymous review, five first prizes, ten second prizes, and fifteen third prizes were selected. Li Bin (Master’s student in International Law, Class of 2024) from UIBE’s School of Law won a first prize, and Zhou Han (Master’s student in International Law, Class of 2024) won a third prize. President Wang Rongming and Dean Tu Xinquan presented the awards.

This marks the first time that students from UIBE’s School of Law have received awards in the “My Proposal for WTO Reform” competition. The advisor to the two award-winning students is Professor Ji Wenhua, co–principal investigator of the WTO Chairs Programme (WCP) and a professor at UIBE’s School of Law. These awards also highlight our university’s and law school’s positive achievements in participating in the WCP and in cultivating talent for foreign-related rule of law.

During the seminar segment, as representatives of the award-winning students, Li Bin delivered a thematic presentation titled “Reforming the WTO Security Regime: A Breakthrough Path via a List-Based System and Quasi-Retaliation Rights,” and Zhou Han delivered “Building a New Global Plastics Governance Mechanism: The WTO’s Mission and China’s Proposal,” reporting on their research. The session achieved positive participation outcomes and enhanced the academic engagement of the law school’s graduate students.

The “My Proposal for WTO Reform” essay competition is a high-level academic call for papers jointly initiated by SUIBE and UIBE under the direct guidance of MOFCOM’s Department of WTO Affairs. Aimed at faculty and students nationwide, it solicits Chinese proposals and recommendations for comprehensive, detailed, and in-depth participation in WTO reform. It is both an important attempt to promote dialogue and exchange between China’s commerce authorities and academia and an important test of China’s research capacity on WTO issues. The exchange and clash of views on WTO reform and innovation provide a valuable demonstration for bridging the “last mile” between academia and government departments and play an important role in advancing research on WTO reform and global economic and trade governance.

Link: https://law.uibe.edu.cn/xwzx/xyxw/7cf123fcb0e847aa976e998c3057c811.htm