CIWTO co-organized the 2024 International Import Trade Forum with East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) prior to the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) on Nov. 5, 2024.

The forum featured prominent speakers, including Yi Xiaozhun, former Deputy Director-General of the WTO and former Vice Minister of Commerce; Robert Koopman, former WTO Chief Economist; Liang Guoyong, senior expert at UNCTAD; Lin Guijun, former Vice-President of UIBE; and Luo Changyuan, Deputy Director-General at Fudan University. Experts from the Chinese government, international organizations, academia, and industry, totaling over 300 participants, attended the event.

 

Jiang Chuanhai, Party Committee Secretary of ECUST, delivered a keynote speech, while Yan Haifeng, Vice President and Party Committee Standing Member, presided over the opening ceremony.

Jiang Chuanhai highlighted that openness is a defining feature of Chinese modernisation. He emphasised the importance of "bringing in" and "going out" to support high-quality economic and social development with broader perspectives, strategic vision, and innovation, while contributing to the creation of an open global economy. He noted the university's commitment to the Party Central Committee's directives on high-level openness, progress in international collaboration with world-class institutions, and advancements in joint educational initiatives. This foundation, he stated, positions the university to further promote global cooperation and empower the development of an open world economy. Jiang expressed hope that the forum would foster international talent development, drive foreign trade innovation, and contribute to building a new development model, revitalising the global economy, and supporting sustainable global growth.

Yan Haifeng remarked that advancing high-level openness and fostering market connectivity, industry integration, innovation, and regulatory alignment are vital for establishing a new development pattern. He underscored the timeliness of the forum's theme, "High-Level Openness and the Construction of a New Development Pattern," as an essential step in implementing the university’s vision for development in line with national priorities.

Yi Xiaozhun emphasized the importance of the multilateral trading system in supporting economic globalization. He noted that, with the WTO's trade liberalization efforts slowing, China must maintain a high level of openness, leveraging its industrial chain advantages to remain competitive in global markets. Lin Guijun highlighted the interdependence between a comprehensive industrial system and imports, advocating for an industrial framework tailored to the domestic economy's needs.

In a video speech titled “Key Strategic Developments in Global Markets”, Robert Koopman analyzed uncertainties in macroeconomic trends, using the U.S. presidential election and European integration as case studies. Liang Guoyong explored China’s economic transformation from four angles: economic shifts, digital transformation, digital trade trends and regulations, and a new model of openness aligned with sustainable development. Luo Changyuan addressed U.S. export controls in the semiconductor industry, urging stronger resilience in China’s supply chain and improved domestic technological capacity to counter these challenges.

The subsequent roundtable forum, themed “Improvement of the Institutional Mechanism for High-Level Opening to the World,” was chaired by Prof. Fan Tijun, Dean of the School of Business at East China University of Science and Technology.

Prominent participants included Prof. Nie Yongyou from Shanghai University, Prof. Yu Jinping from Nanjing University, Prof. Qian Xuefeng from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Prof. Huang Xinfei from Sun Yat-sen University, and Prof. Tu Xinquan WTO Chairholder at UIBE. Each expert brought unique insights, discussing topics such as building a new high-level opening system, enhancing the international influence of the Shanghai Fair, fostering imports of high-tech products, and reducing foreign dependence. The discussions were both dynamic and deeply engaging.

As a key component of the forum, the symposium featured four themes: “Trade in Services and Import and Export,” “International Trade Essay Writing and Publishing,” “Enterprise Innovation and Green Transformation,” and “International Trade and Regional Development.” Scholars, teachers, and students from numerous universities and research institutes engaged in discussions on pressing issues such as trade in services, trade barriers, and the green transformation of enterprises.

The symposium on “Trade in Services and Import and Export,” chaired by Che Yi, Distinguished Researcher at East China University of Science and Technology, included insights from Mao Qilian, Professor at Nankai University, Zhang Penglong, Associate Professor at Tsinghua University, and scholars from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law and Central University of Finance and Economics.

The session on “International Trade Essay Writing and Publishing,” led by Dong Yinguo, Professor at East China University of Science and Technology, featured contributions from Li Yifei, Deputy Editorial Director of *Management World*; Liu Xiaolei, Associate Editor of *Economics (Quarterly)* and Boya Distinguished Professor at Peking University; Qiu Guoging, Deputy Editorial Director of *Finance and Economics Research*; and Wang Dihai, Associate Editor of *World Economy Letters* and Professor at Fudan University.

The symposium on “Enterprise Innovation and Green Transformation,” chaired by Xie Guo'e, Associate Professor at East China University of Science and Technology, welcomed speakers such as Duan Yuwan, Deputy Dean of the School of International Economics and Trade at the Central University of Finance and Economics, alongside scholars from Fudan University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and Guangzhou University.

Finally, the session on “International Trade and Regional Development,” chaired by Peng Delei, Professor and Dean of the Law School at East China University of Science and Technology, included presentations by Zhou Mao, Professor at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, and scholars from Central University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai International Studies University, and other institutions.

Prof. Hou Limin, Secretary of the Party Committee at the Business School of East China University of Science and Technology, concluded the forum by emphasizing the importance of leveraging both multilateral mechanisms and regional trade agreements to advance high-level openness. She highlighted the need to focus on developing a global industrial and supply chain system while accelerating the construction of risk prevention measures. On behalf of the organizers, she affirmed the commitment of the School of Business and the School of Law to supporting national and regional economic and social development.

The forum, hosted by East China University of Science and Technology and organized by its School of Business and School of Law, was co-organized by the Shanghai Society of World Economics and the China WTO Research Institute of the University of International Business and Economics. Now in its seventh edition, the forum has established itself as a platform for academic exchange and international communication. It has contributed valuable insights and intellectual support for building a higher-level open economic system, enhancing the Fair's reputation as a globally significant economic and trade event.