On the morning of August 18th, the fourth academic lecture for early training of CIWTO new students was held as scheduled. Dr. Zhao Hong, former chairman of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization and adjunct professor at Peking University and China University of Political Science and Law, was invited to deliver a lecture on "WTO Dispute Settlement Body: Success and Challenges" to CIWTO students. Dean Tu Xinquan presided over the lecture and made comments.

Dean Tu Xinquan welcomed Professor Zhao Hong and briefly introduced her academic background and rich work experience. Professor Zhao served in the Department of WTO Affairs of the Ministry of Commerce previously. In 2016, she was formally appointed as the Chairman of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB). She left the post with her term expiring in 2020. As one of the seven justices of the Appellate Body and the second Chinese to be selected in the DSB, Professor Zhao has a wealth of work experience at the WTO.

At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Zhao introduced the WTO to the students, including photos of its headquarter located in Geneva, its organizational structure, the nature of the institution, and the WTO agreements. Later, Professor Zhao gave a detailed introduction to the dispute settlement body, dispute settlement rules, appeal procedures, and the suspension of the WTO Appellate Body in recent years. Then she shared her thoughts on the suspension of the Appellate Body and the future of the international rule of law with CIWTO students. At the end of the lecture, Professor Zhao encouraged the students to be brave to shoulder the responsibility of the time, and hoped that the young generation would participate in the thinking and construction of international rules with their own knowledge. Dean Tu expressed high recognition of what Professor Zhao said, and had a further discussion with Professor Zhao on the change in the attitude of the United States towards international rules.

Translator: ZHOU Ruiqiang

Reviewer: WANG Yu