On the morning of 19 November, President Zhu Guohong was delighted to welcome Mr. Marc Vanheukelen, Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to the World Trade Organization (WTO), to SUIBE campus. Present at the meeting were Professor Zhang Lei, WTO Chair-holder, Dean of SUIBE School of Trade Negotiations, and Director of the Joint Research Center on International Trade Governance and China’s Reform and Open-up, Mr. Ying Pinguan, Deputy Dean of SUIBE School of Trade Negotiations and Deputy Dean of the WTO Chair Institute (China), and representatives from the Office of Foreign Affairs.
President Zhu briefed Ambassador Vanheukelen on the latest developments of SUIBE. Ambassador Vanheukelen expressed his congratulations and support of the establishment of SUIBE School of Trade Negotiations and the WTO Chair Institute (China), noting the need for trade negotiators in the context of current international trade. President Zhu hoped that the two institutions could benefit highly from the advice from Ambassador Vanheukelen.
After the meeting, Ambassador Vanheukelen delivered a speech titled “Refreshing Global Trade Governance” to an audience of faculty and students of the School of Trade Negotiations, describing the challenges faced by the WTO and analyzing the action plan of the EU in reforming the WTO. At the end of the speech, Ambassador Vanheukelen took questions from the audience.
