On May 24, the sub-forum of the 23rd Shanghai Social Science Community Academic Annual Conference and the academic seminar on “25th Anniversary of China’s WTO Accession and Quality Upgrading of Shanghai as an International Trade Center” were held at the Changning Campus. The forum was jointly organized by the Shanghai Federation of Social Science Communities and SUIBE, and co-organized by the Shanghai International Trade Society, the Marxism Research Institute of SUIBE, the School of International Economics and Trade, and the WTO Chair Institute-Chin.
Wang Weisong, Secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group and Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Federation of Social Science Communities (SFSSC), and Wang Rongming, President of SUIBE, attended the forum and delivered speeches. Zhang Xiangchen, Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Yi Xiaozhun, former Deputy Director-General of the WTO, Wang Xinkui, former Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and Chairman of the Shanghai WTO Affairs Advisory Center, Zhou Hanmin, member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), former Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the CPPCC and President of the Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association, Patrick Low, former Chief Economist of WTO and former Director of the Department of Economic Research and Statistics, Lin Guijun, former Vice President of the University of International Business and Economics, and Huang Jianzhong, Director of the WTO Chair Institute-China, Director of the WTO Asia-Pacific Training Center of SUIBE, and President of the Shanghai International Trade Society, were invited to deliver keynote speeches.
In his speech, Wang Weisong fully recognized the years of sustained, in-depth dedication to WTO research by the academic community represented by SUIBE, and spoke highly of the patriotic sentiments and academic contributions of pioneering scholars such as Wang Yaotian. He stated that SFSSC will continue to pool academic wisdom, deepen research on cutting-edge directions such as digital trade, green trade, and trade in services, and produce more high-quality theoretical and policy-making achievements.
Wang Rongming stated in his speech that as the first university in China to host a WTO Chair, SUIBE has long carried forward the academic spirit of Professor Wang Yaotian and deeply participated in global economic and trade governance, producing multiple achievements around strategies such as institutional opening-up and the upgrading of pilot free trade zones. In the future, the university will continue to leverage its disciplinary strengths in open economy, improve the undergraduate-master-doctoral talent cultivation system, and contribute academic strength to the Shanghai’s construction as international trade center and the nation’s high-level opening-up.
Professor Zhou Hanmin, paid tribute to Professor Wang Yaotian as a student of the latter, reviewed the historic moment when China officially applied for “resuming GATT contracting party status” in 1986, and spoke highly of Wang’s farsightedness and sense of mission as a pioneer in that process. He encouraged the young students present to carry forward Professor Wang’s spirit, bravely shoulder the missions of the times, and contribute their youth and strength to national rejuvenation and the cause of high-level opening-up.
Yu Shen, former Dean of the Shanghai Customs College and Wang’s student, recalled the professor Wang’s approach to scholarship and personal character based on his personal experiences. He encouraged young scholars to take Professor Wang as a role model, broaden their international vision and improve professional competence, actively engage with international organizations, demonstrate the responsibility of Chinese youth on the global economic governance stage, and carry forward the cause of opening-up.
Wang Cheng, speaking on behalf of the family of Professor Wang Yaotian, expressed sincere gratitude to the organizers and attending guests, and warmly recalled the enduring inheritance of his grandfather’s spirit in the twenty years since the professor’s passing.
During the keynote speech session, experts and scholars examined the evolving global landscape from a global perspective, addressed the imperatives of the times from China’s standpoint, and empowered policy-making with academic wisdom, forming a series of forward-looking, strategic, and actionable academic insights and policy reflections.
Translated by Shao Rongrong