It is an inevitable trend of globalization to move from trade liberalization to trade facilitation. Through the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), the World Trade Organization (WTO) has proposed that member states adopt measures such as simplifying customs clearance procedures to virtually eliminate trade barriers. In order to comply with the “One Belt and One Road” Initiative and promote the development of China’s foreign trade, the School of Public Administration of the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), China Institute for WTO Studies, UIBE, and Beijing Recode Trade Security and Facilitation Research Centre jointly hosted “Trade Facilitation Forum” and the launch and seminar of “Trade Facilitation Annual Report of China” on December 6th, 2016 in the School Board Room in the Scientific Research Building.

Guijun Lin, the vice president of UIBE attended the forum and delivered a welcome speech. Vice president Guijun Lin pointed out that under the “new normal” conditions, especially when China is currently facing a complex international trade environment, trade facilitation measures will help reduce the institutional cost of foreign trade and improve trade efficiency. Therefore, trade facilitation research is of great significance to the development of China’s foreign trade. To analyze China's current implementation situation against TFA will help to promote China's trade facilitation reform, and to better improve and implement trade facilitation measures, which will further improve China's trade facilitation level. Vice president Lin proposed that we should establish a sound communication and exchange mechanism among government, academia and the business community, based on careful investigation and scientific analysis of the current status of China's trade facilitation; we should analyze and evaluate China’s trade facilitation level through scientific methods, so as to provide intellectual support for the optimization of China's foreign trade development quality.

The seminar was hosted by Professor Libo Fan, dean of the School of Public Administration of UIBE. Xiaoping Jiang, director of Beijing Recode Trade Security and Facilitation Research Centre introduced the research process, research contents and future research directions of the annual report.

Experts and scholars from the Ministry of Commerce, the General Administration of Customs, China Society for World Trade Organization Studies (CWTO), UIBE and multinational corporations had a roundtable forum on China's trade facilitation issues. The roundtable forum was hosted by Hailian Li, an associate professor from Department of Customs Administration, UIBE. The experts and scholars exchanged views on the development and research of China's trade facilitation. They pointed out that the scope of research on trade facilitation should be further expanded, and that during trade facilitation construction, we should solve practical problems in the course of trade and respect technical issues during customs clearance. We should take into account the dynamic changes in the trade environment and trade conditions, and make full use of enterprise and social forces to promote the improvement of government services.

Through this seminar, the School of Public Administration of UIBE will further develop its discipline advantages and customs characteristics, and promote the development of think tanks for trade facilitation research, so as to provide scientific decision-making consulting and technical support for the development of the country’s foreign trade.