A seminar on the Future of Global Trade Governance was held on 26 January 2026 at the China Institute for WTO Studies, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), bringing together leading Chinese and European scholars to discuss WTO reform, shifting trade dynamics, and the evolving EU–China economic relationship.

The event featured scholars from the EU-funded Horizon Europe project ENSURED on global governance transformation. Participants included Professor Hylke Dijkstra, Project Coordinator of ENSURED and Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University; Dr. Michal Parizek, Work-package Leader on Trade and Inequality and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University; and Dr. Clara Weinhardt, Deputy Coordinator of ENSURED and Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University.

Chinese experts attending the seminar included Professor Yang Guohua from Tsinghua University Law School; Professor Ye Bin, Director of the Division of EU Legal Studies at the Institute of European Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Professor Chen Zhaoyuan, Deputy Director of the Division of Global Governance at the Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Assistant Professor Wu Yabo of the Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University; as well as Professor Tu Xinquan, Dean of the China Institute for WTO Studies, and Professor Li Siqi of the China Institute for WTO Studies, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE).

In her opening remarks, Professor Li Siqi highlighted ten major trends reshaping global economic and trade governance, including the urgent need for WTO reform, structural changes in global value chains, the disruptive impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the rapid expansion of South–South trade, growing sustainability demands, and increased attention to agricultural trade. She noted that rising trade policy uncertainty has added complexity to the global trading system, underscoring the importance of academic dialogue at a time of accelerated global change.

Professor Hylke Dijkstra introduced the ENSURED project, which over the past five years has built partnerships with research institutions in 14 countries and assembled a research team of 45 scholars. He highlighted the project’s achievements in database construction, expert surveys, and case studies, as well as its extensive collaboration with global partners, including the China Institute for WTO Studies. He expressed optimism about expanding cooperation on a wider range of governance-related topics.

Speaking on WTO and Global Trade in a Geopolitical Era, Dr. Michal Parizek presented findings from interviews with more than 40 WTO officials and trade policymakers. While WTO members remain committed to reform, he argued, progress continues to be constrained by unresolved challenges in dispute settlement, joint statement initiatives, and sensitive policy areas such as industrial policy and security. He noted that U.S. calls for a fundamental rebalancing of interests have further complicated global trade governance, making new cooperative approaches increasingly necessary.

Dr. Clara Weinhardt examined the EU’s evolving trade strategy in her presentation on The EU's global trade strategy in an age of challenged multilateralism. She observed that although the EU continues to support the WTO and multilateralism, it has increasingly turned to alternative forms of cooperation since 2025, including bilateral free trade agreements. These initiatives, she noted, remain anchored in core WTO principles, even as 2025 may mark a broader geopolitical shift in the EU’s external economic strategy.

Professor Yang Guohua outlined a proposal for an EU–China joint statement on WTO reform, arguing that both sides should separate reform efforts from geopolitical disputes and bilateral trade frictions. EU–China collaboration, he suggested, enjoys broad international support and comes at a timely moment, particularly following the EU’s recent submission of WTO reform proposal.

Under the theme Exploring EU–China Cooperative Potentials in an Era of Change and Uncertainty, Professor Ye Bin emphasized that the rules-based international trading system is under strain, making it necessary to reassess EU–China relations. As key supporters of free trade and multilateralism, he argued, China and the EU share both the responsibility and the capacity to uphold the system. He pointed to potential cooperation in areas such as competition policy, regulatory flexibility, and sustainable development.

Professor Chen Zhaoyuan addressed broader governance issues in a presentation on Compelled Convergence While Seeking Divergence: South–North Policy Diffusion in Global Development Governance. He argued that North–South relations and great-power competition are reshaping global governance frameworks, narratives, and knowledge systems. While such competition poses risks, he noted, it may also create opportunities for developing countries—provided that global governance mechanisms and the international rule of law are strengthened.

Associate Professor Wu Yabo focused on Misperceptions of China–Africa Trade and Economic Relations, stressing that China–Africa economic ties are dynamic and influenced by geopolitics, geoeconomics, and Africa’s own agency. She called for a more balanced and evidence-based understanding of these relations and cautioned against oversimplified narratives about China’s role in Africa.

The seminar concluded with an open discussion on digital platform regulation, regional cooperation mechanisms, and geopolitical concerns.

In his closing remarks, Professor Tu Xinquan emphasized that global economic governance extends well beyond the WTO and trade policy alone. He called for a broader rebalancing perspective and noted that China and the EU—now comparable in economic scale and competitiveness—should strengthen dialogue on trade and investment, build mutual trust, and address differences through sustained engagement.