From July 1 to 3, 2026, the World Trade Organization (WTO) Chairs Programme (WCP) Annual Conference was held at the WTO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Representing our university, Professor Xinquan Tu, Dean of the China Institute for WTO Studies and WTO Chairholder in China (Beijing), attended the conference, together with Mr. Gao Jian, WCP Coordinator at UIBE. Ms. Meihe Chen, our visiting Ph.D. student at the University of Bern under the sponsorship of the China Scholarship Council’s Innovation Program, and Ms. Ning Liao, our visiting Ph.D. student at the European University Institute, also attended the conference on behalf of UIBE WTO Chair.

The conference featured thematic discussions on the World Trade Report 2026, digital trade regulations, trade and sustainability. The sessions focused on strengthening regional networking among Chairs, deepening inter-regional partnerships, and conducting in-depth exchanges on the substantive participation of Chairs in the development of teaching resources and the monitoring and evaluation of technical assistance.

During the conference, Professor Tu actively participated in several important sessions, demonstrating the university’s strong academic foundation and growing international influence in WTO research and international trade policy. On July 3, he spoke at the session “The Value of the Multilateral Trading System and WTO Reforms”, where he argued that the evolution of the multilateral trading system has fundamentally been driven by shifts in the global balance of power. He noted that the current challenges confronting the WTO reflect both the relative decline of U.S. hegemony and the declining influence of free trade ideology. Against the backdrop of intensifying China–U.S. strategic competition and an increasingly polarized international order, Professor Tu emphasized that China remains firmly committed to safeguarding the WTO-centered multilateral trading system, advancing reforms to the WTO’s negotiating function, and exploring new avenues for cooperation within the multilateral framework despite strategic competition.

Meanwhile, Mr. Gao Jian actively engaged in in-depth exchanges with WTO Chairholders, WTO officials, and experts from around the world. Discussions focused on cooperation mechanisms under the WTO Chairs Programme, emerging research topics in international trade and economic policy, and innovative approaches to talent development. These interactions further strengthened our university’s academic exchanges and policy dialogue with the international community.

During the WTO Chairs Programme Annual Conference, Professor Tu Xinquan and his delegation were warmly received by WTO Deputy Director-General Zhang Xiangchen, with whom they also took a commemorative photo. The delegation held in-depth discussions with Professor Manfred Elsig, Managing Director of the World Trade Institute and Professor of International Relations at the University of Bern. Both parties reached multiple consensuses on future joint training of high-level international trade professionals and deepening academic cooperation, further consolidating our university’s leading position in international academic collaboration and talent development as a WTO Chair member.

The delegation also visited the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG). They toured iconic locations such as the Assembly Hall and the International Plaza at the Palais des Nations, gaining firsthand insight into the profound heritage of multilateral diplomacy.

This visit has effectively facilitated communication between our university and international organizations, including the WTO Chairs Programme and the United Nations. It has further leveraged our institute’s influence as a think tank in global economic governance and WTO research, while deepening our international dialogue in core disciplines such as WTO law and international trade policy.

Following the conclusion of the annual conference on July 4, Professor Tu Xinquan and Teacher Gao Jian traveled to IMD Business School in Lausanne to meet Simon Evenett, a world-leading scholar in international trade and geo-economic trade policies. They exchanged views with him on the current landscape of trade policies and its implications for the future trajectory of the multilateral trading system.