The 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (MC14) was held in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, from March 26 to 30, 2026. The conference provided an important platform for discussing the evolution of the global economic and trade landscape. Amid rising unilateralism and protectionism, the multilateral trading system has come under strain, creating significant uncertainty in the global economy. Against this backdrop, the Ministerial Conference aimed to promote multilateral trade cooperation and contribute to shaping the future global economic and trade order. Among those in attendance were Joseph Ngute, Prime Minister of Cameroon; Muhammad B.S. Jallow, Vice President of The Gambia; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the WTO; as well as ministers of economy, trade, and development from numerous WTO members, along with representatives of international organizations.

At the invitation of the organizers, Prof. Tu Xinquan, WTO Chairholder at UIBE; Mr. Gao Jian, WTO Chair Coordinator at UIBE; and Dr. Cui Yuyang, Assistant Research Fellow, traveled to Yaoundé to participate in MC14 as representatives of a non-governmental academic institution. During the conference, they engaged in extensive discussions with officials, industry representatives, and scholars from various countries on topics including WTO reform, digital trade and e-commerce, investment facilitation, green trade, and the dispute settlement mechanism. The delegation also gained insights into the positions of major economies—including the United States, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Korea, and India—on several key issues.

On the sidelines of the conference, Prof. Tu Xinquan held discussions with a number of officials and scholars on key issues related to the conference. These included members of the Chinese delegation; Robert Staiger, Chief Economist of the WTO; Aik Hoe Lim, Director of the WTO Trade and Environment Division; Yeo Han-koo, Chief Trade Negotiator for the Republic of Korea; Tom Matlock, Counsellor at the British Embassy in China; Trudi Hartzenberg, Executive Director of the Southern African Trade Law Centre and Advisor to the Advisory Committee of the WTO Chairs Programme; James Nedumpara, Holder of the WTO Chair in India and member of the Indian delegation; and Zhao Quan, Senior Trade Policy Officer at the International Trade Centre.

Over the four-day 14th WTO Ministerial Conference, representatives of WTO members engaged in intensive consultations on a range of issues, including WTO reform and a potential agreement on e-commerce. The Conference adopted a decision on improving the integration of small economies into the multilateral trading system, as well as a decision on strengthening the effective implementation of special and differential treatment provisions under the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. However, members failed to reach consensus on the “Yaoundé Package,” which includes the Yaoundé Ministerial Declaration on WTO reform and its work programme, the Ministerial Decision on E-Commerce, and the Least Developed Countries Package. These outstanding issues and draft texts will be referred back to the World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva for further consideration at a future meeting of the General Council.

On the afternoon of March 28, Dean Tu Xinquan, in his capacity as Holder of the WTO Chair at UIBE, led a delegation on a visit to the University of Yaoundé II, the host institution of the WTO Chair in Cameroon. The delegation was warmly received by Manfred Kouty from the Faculty of International Relations and Co-Holder of the WTO Chair at the university. Both sides engaged in in-depth discussions on the operation of their respective WTO Chairs, the development of higher education in Cameroon, and prospects for future cooperation. The delegation also visited Chinese language classes at the Confucius Institute on campus.