January 1, 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO). To commemorate this milestone, Prof. Yang Guohua from Tsinghua University initiated the WTO’s 30th Anniversary Lecture Series: The Future of the Multilateral Trading System which were jointly organized by eight academic institutions: World Trade Organization Research Society of China Law Society, China Institute for WTO Studies-WTO Chair at UIBE, the School of International Organizations at Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, the Commercial Law Harmonization Research Center at UIBE, the School of Foreign-related Rule of Law at UIBE, the International Economic Law Institute at China University of Political Science and Law, the School of Law at East China University of Science and Technology, and the International Law Institute at Renmin University of China.

From September 18 to December 10, 2024, experts with longstanding experience in WTO studies, alongside emerging scholars in the field, delivered 34 insightful sessions. The lecture topics covered a wide range of issues pertinent to the WTO, including China's legal framework, general international law, crises and major power competition, evolution and challenges of the multilateral system, industrial subsidies, uniformity and inclusiveness, the U.S.-China trade war, high-level openness, the United States and the WTO, East-West trade during the GATT era, revitalizing the multilateral trading system, U.S. trade remedies, sustainable international trade rules, national security, investment facilitation, high-standard financial service rules, international trade legal practice, expansion of prohibited subsidies, negotiation mechanisms, international rule of law, and high-standard economic and trade rules for institutional openness.  

This lecture series represented a collective effort by the WTO academic community and showcased productive engagement between academia and society. Combining keynote speeches with interactive dialogues, the sessions were focused, engaging, and dynamic. Over 2,500 participants attended the series, providing students and faculty with an unparalleled opportunity to engage in face-to-face learning with renowned scholars in the field.