CCG joins WTO Public Forum 2026 in Geneva

Henry Huiyao Wang and Mabel Lu Miao take part in discussions on WTO reform and global trade, as CCG convenes a session on unilateralism and the multilateral trading system.

From September 15 to 17, 2026, Henry Huiyao Wang, Founder and President of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), and Mabel Lu Miao, Co-founder and Secretary-General of CCG, are attending the World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum at WTO headquarters in Geneva.

Held under the theme “Powering the Future,” this year’s Public Forum focuses on the role of trade in services in economic development, job creation and the future of the global trading system. According to the WTO, more than 4,600 participants from business, governments, civil society, academia and international organizations are taking part, with 540 speakers appearing across a record 113 sessions.

September 15

On September 15, Wang joined a closed-door exchange in the WTO’s Green Room. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala delivered opening remarks at the session.

Later that day, Wang attended a high-level session led by the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), titled “The tectonic plates of trade are moving: A new equilibrium?”

The session opened with remarks from PIIE President Adam S. Posen and was moderated by Bloomberg’s Brendan Murray. Speakers included Cecilia Malmström, Nonresident Senior Fellow at PIIE and former European Commissioner for Trade; Tatiana Prazeres, Brazil’s Foreign Trade Secretary; Vera Songwe of the Brookings Institution; and Joe W. Sullivan, Senior Director for Policy at the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

The discussion examined how the global trading system is being reshaped amid geopolitical tensions and economic fragmentation, and what role the WTO can play in supporting a more balanced and sustainable international trade order.

September 16

On September 16, Wang joined a special edition of PIIE’s Trade Winds series at the WTO Public Forum, “The state of play for global trade: Spotting trends and challenges.”

Hosted by Cecilia Malmström, the discussion featured Robert W. Staiger, Chief Economist of the WTO; Maria Martin-Prat, Ambassador of the European Union Permanent Mission to the WTO; and Nazak Nikakhtar, Partner at Wiley Rein and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis.

Staiger presented the WTO’s 2026 World Trade Report, “A Critical Juncture for the World Trading System,” followed by a discussion on the major forces shaping international trade, including tariffs, subsidies, export restrictions, industrial policy and geopolitical tensions, as well as the future role of the WTO.

September 17

On the morning of September 17, Miao attended “The New Map of Data and Future of Critical Minerals: Could Turkiye Become Eurasia’s Safe Harbour for Data Centre Investment?”

Organized by the Electrical and Electronics Exporters’ Association of Turkiye and the Istanbul Mineral Exporters’ Association, the session examined the rapid expansion of data-centre investment, associated energy and infrastructure needs, critical-mineral supply security, and Türkiye’s potential role in Eurasian digital infrastructure.

At noon, CCG convened its own session at the WTO Public Forum, titled “Unilateralism undermining the multilateral trading system.”

Moderated by Miao, the panel featured Wang; Maarten Smeets, Senior Fellow at the World Trade Institute and a member of the Steering Committee of the Trade and Investment Research Network; Elvire Fabry, Director of the Trade and Economic Security Programme at the Jacques Delors Institute; and Wenhua Ji, Professor at the University of International Business and Economics and Vice President of the WTO Law Research Society of the China Law Society.

The discussion considered the spillover effects of unilateral trade measures, risks of further fragmentation in the global trading system, the preservation of multilateral trade rules and possible pathways for WTO reform.

Later on September 17, Wang joined a Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) panel, “Effect of Structural Economic Differences on Global Trade.”

Hosted by Angela Ellard of CSIS, the session will also feature Marion Jansen of the OECD, Ed Brzytwa of the Consumer Technology Association and Nazak Nikakhtar of Wiley Rein. The panel will examine how structural differences among major economies affect global trade and what those differences mean for the future of multilateral trade governance.

CCG has participated in previous editions of the WTO Public Forum. At the 2019 edition, Henry Huiyao Wang publicly called for marine plastics pollution to become an area of WTO cooperation and urged China to help advance multilateral action on the issue. Also participating in that discussion was Zhang Xiangchen, then ambassador and permanent representative of China to the WTO.

The following year, China and Fiji launched the WTO’s Informal Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade. The initiative has since expanded to 83 WTO co-sponsors, representing nearly 90 percent of global plastics trade.

On December 13, 2021, to mark the 20th anniversary of China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), together with the Network for International Trade and Investment System (NITIS) and the China Institute for WTO Studies (CIWTO) at the University of International Business and Economics, held a hybrid seminar titled “Twenty Years of China’s WTO Membership: From Integration to Interaction.”

Participants included then WTO Deputy Director-General Anabel Gonzalez; former Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya; former WTO Deputy Directors-General Alan Wolff and Yi Xiaozhun; Zhang Yuejiao, former chair of the WTO Appellate Body; and Tu Xinquan, Dean of CIWTO.

At the 2024 Public Forum, CCG organized a session titled “Leveraging China’s Green Transition for Global Climate Mitigation: Perspectives, Opportunities and Challenges,” moderated by Wang and featuring former WTO Deputy Director-General Xiaozhun Yi, former Kenyan Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, Elvire Fabry and PIIE President Adam S. Posen.

CCG in 2024 was greeted by Li Chenggang, then Chinese ambassador to the WTO, in Geneva.

Wang and Miao met Li Chenggang in Geneva in September 2024.

The 2026 programme continues CCG’s engagement with international institutions and policy organizations on the future of the multilateral trading system and global economic governance.