On 21st May 2021, Friends of Multilateralism Group (FMG) organized an online brainstorming session on China Trade Policy. Clemens Boonekamp from FMG moderated this meeting.

 

Professor Cui Fan, Deputy General Secretary and Director of Research at China Society for WTO Studies; Professor Henry Gao, tenured law professor at Singapore Management University shared their insights on the trade policy of China and WTO reform. FMG Board member Stuart Harbinson made comments as discussant.

 

Almost 40 participants joined the brainstorming, including members of FMG, Friends of FMG and Punta del Este Group (PEG), Ambassadors of WTO members, and representatives from related international organizations.

 

This brainstorming is the first session of FMG new brainstorming initiative titled “Trade Policy Preview” (TP-P) which aims at hosting a candid and forward-looking dialogue on trade policy trends of key players of the WTO and their implications on the WTO reform discussions. Such TP-Ps will be organized in conjunction with the planned WTO trade policy reviews (TPRs) of the selected members but a few months in advance.

 

Based on the announced TPRs of the WTO in 2021, FMG TP-Ps endeavors to cover China, Argentina, Singapore, Korea and Russia.

 

Annex 1:

Program

15:00-15:05

Opening Remarks

Speaker: Xiankun LU (FMG)

   
15:05-15:55

Presentations 

Moderator: Clemens BOONEKAMP (FMG)

15:05-15:20 Speaker: Prof. CUI Fan
15:20-15:35 Speaker: Prof. Henry GAO
15:35-15:45 Discussant: Stuart HARBINSON (FMG)
   
15:45-16:30

Discussions

Moderator: Clemens BOONEKAMP (FMG)

 

Annex 2:

 

Confirmed Participants

 

1.FMG/FFMG/PEG members

Clemens BOONEKAMP (FMG, moderator)

Daniel CROSBY (FMG)

Simon EVENETT (FMG)

Anabel GONZALEZ (FMG)

Stuart HARBINSON (FMG, discussant)

Xiankun LU (FMG)

Hamid MAMDOUH (FMG)

Hector TORRES (FMG/PEG)

Guillermo VALLES (FMG/PEG)

Mario MATUS (PEG)

Matthew Anthony WILSON (FFMG)

Andreas ESCHE (FFMG)

Hajo LANZ (FFMG)

 

2.WTO Missions

Austria: H.E. Elisabeth TICHY-FISSLBERGER, Ambassador

Canada: H.E. Stephen De BOER, Ambassador

Egypt: H.E. Ihab GAMALELDIN, Ambassador

Mexico: H.E. Ángel VILLALOBOS RODRÍGUEZ, Ambassador

Pakistan: H.E. Mujtaba PIRACHA, Ambassador

Russia: H.E. Dmitry LYAKISHEV, Ambassador

Singapore: H.E. TAN Hung Seng, Ambassador

China: LI Yihong, DPR

EU: Hiddo HOUBEN, DPR

Finland: Anna VITIE, DPR

Netherlands: Marcel VERNOOIJ, DPR

Mexico: Ismael ORTIZ FERNÁNDEZ, DPR

Thailand: Chakarin KOMOLSIRI, DPR

 

3.Other Stakeholders

Alan WOLFF, Former WTO DDG

Willy ALFARO, WTO

Pierre SAUVE, World Bank

Mia MIKIC, UN ESCAP

Maion JANSEN, OECD