Professor ZHENG Lingli Leads a Delegation to the APEC Workshop on Trade and Environment and Delivers a Keynote Speech

Recently, ahead of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, Professor ZHENG Lingli from the School of Law at Nanjing Normal University led a delegation to attend “Revitalizing WTO’s Functions by Addressing Contemporary Trade Issues: Workshop on Trade and Environment”, which was held at Suzhou Jinji Lake International Convention Centre (JICC), Suzhou, China. Hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China (MOFCOM) and organized by the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), the international workshop brought together over 200 representatives from government, industry, and academia, including senior officials from nearly 20 APEC economies. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions focusing on the green transition in global trade and pathways for WTO reform. 

In Session 1 “Green Transformation of the Global Trade: Explore the Ways of Sustainable Development amid Multiple Challenges”, Professor ZHENG Lingli delivered a keynote speech entitled “Green Steel Trade and Its Impact on Sustainable Transition: A Chinese Perspective”. She offered forward-looking insights and policy recommendations across five key dimensions: the multiple challenges facing green steel trade in the global green transition; the importance of coordinating green steel standards under the APEC framework; China’s progress in steel decarbonization and international mutual recognition; pathways for the liberalization and facilitation of green steel trade; and the implications for the global green and sustainable transition. She emphasized that, in the context of globalization, the synergistic advancement of laws, policies, and corporate practices is of crucial significance to achieving a green trade transition. China can play a greater role in aligning green standards, building platforms for technology sharing, facilitating trade mechanisms, and leading regional rule-making. Meanwhile, deeper cooperation can be promoted among APEC members in mutual recognition of green product certifications, the flow of low-carbon technologies, and industrial chain synergy.

In Session 2 “WTO’s Mandate and Reality: From Deadlock to Explorations” and Session 3 “Regional Practices as Pioneers—Innovation and Experimentation in APEC”, the panelists engaged in discussions on various topics, including the WTO’s trade and sustainable development agenda, trade-related climate measures, carbon footprint accounting and mutual recognition of standards, and the implications of regional cooperation experiences for WTO reform.

During this APEC international workshop, Professor ZHENG Lingli led nearly 20 graduate students from the mentoring team to attend the event. By attending panel speeches and participating in interactive discussions, the students broadened their international horizons and deepened their understanding of frontier issues at the intersection of WTO trade and environmental law, accumulating valuable experience for their future academic research and career development. This event fully demonstrated the academic influence in the fields of international trade law, environmental law, and foreign-related rule of law, and provided an important platform for its faculty and students to engage in high-level international exchanges and serve China’s strategy of high-standard opening-up.

Since being selected as a National Excellent Legal Talent Education and Training Base by the Ministry of Education in 2012, the School of Law at Nanjing Normal University has been seeking breakthroughs and innovations in the systematic cultivation of high-quality legal professionals. Building on its long-term exploration of the “Law + Foreign Languages” training model, the School of Law has innovatively introduced a “Three-Dimensional Integration” training model for foreign-related rule of law talents focusing on regional and country studies. This model proposes integrated education across three dimensions, a closed-loop cultivation across three chains, and integrated practice across three domains, forming a systematic, replicable, and scalable “NNU Approach” to cultivating foreign-related rule of law talents. The “Regional Trade Agreement Research” mentoring team, led by Professor ZHENG Lingli, is a successful example of this model. Since 2020, the team has absorbed over 60 undergraduates and more than 30 postgraduate students to form a teaching and research community, carrying out diversified foreign-related rule of law teaching activities such as seminars, academic lectures, and competition coaching. Team members have chosen foreign-related rule of law as their direction for further studies or career paths, and are gradually growing into a “new force” in the field, equipped with both theoretical literacy and practical capabilities.