On October 4, 2024, Foreign Trade University successfully held an international conference with the theme “Rethinking international trade in responding to emerging challenges.”
Distinguished guests attending the conference included ambassadors and counselors from Malaysia, Cambodia, and Myanmar; Mr. Lê Đình Bá – Advisor to the Vietnamese Delegation to the United Nations and the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland; Mr. Lương Hoàng Thái – Director General of the Multilateral Trade Policy Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade; Mr. Nguyễn Anh Phong – Deputy Director of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agricultural and Rural Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; Mr. Nguyễn Hoài Nam – Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP); Associate Professor, Dr. Marteen Smeets – Senior Researcher at the World Trade Institute (WTI), Senior Advisor to the FTU Chair Program; Associate Professor, Dr. Alex Yang – Co-Director of the WTO Chair Program at National Taiwan University, along with representatives from government agencies, universities, and businesses interested in the seminar’s theme.
Representing Foreign Trade University were Associate Professor, Dr. Phạm Thu Hương – Vice President of Foreign Trade University; Associate Professor, Dr. Đào Ngọc Tiến – Vice President of Foreign Trade University; Associate Professor, Dr. Trịnh Thị Thu Hương – Director of the WTO Chair Program at Foreign Trade University; Dr. Vũ Kim Ngân – Deputy Director of the WTO Chair Program at Foreign Trade University; Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyễn Ngọc Hà – Director of the Institute for Innovation Research, Foreign Trade University, and Heads and Deputy Heads of several departments at the university, along with faculty members and students of the institution.
The seminar consisted of two main sessions, including the Plenary Session and Parallel Sessions. The Plenary Session, themed “Rethinking International Trade,” featured two keynote presentations, followed by a roundtable discussion. The second part included a series of parallel sessions, with three sessions held simultaneously.
Associate Professor, Dr. Maarten Smeets, Senior Researcher at the World Trade Institute and Senior Advisor to the FTU Chair Program, provided an overview of the current challenges facing the international trade system: from the persistent issues with global institutions and outdated WTO rules, to geopolitical tensions, new protectionism, national security invoked to justify trade restrictions, de-globalization, re-globalization, the lack of leadership, and a lack of consensus in the international environment, among others. He then proposed directions for stabilizing and strengthening the international trade system.
Following Dr. Marteen Smeets’s presentation, Associate Professor, Dr. Đào Ngọc Tiến – Vice President of Foreign Trade University, an expert with significant contributions to research on economic and international trade policy, further analyzed the challenges in four groups: political, environmental, social, and technological, in the VUCA era. From there, he proposed five groups of solutions and four active and proactive action orientations to respond to these challenges.
The roundtable discussion, moderated by Dr. Vũ Kim Ngân – Deputy Director of the FTU Chair Program, included speakers: Mr. Lương Hoàng Thái – Director General of the Multilateral Trade Policy Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade; Associate Professor, Dr. Alex Yang – Co-Director of the WTO Chair Program at National Taiwan University; Dr. Đào Gia Phúc – Director of the Institute for International and Comparative Law, University of Economics and Law, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City; and Associate Professor, Dr. Trịnh Thị Thu Hương – Director of the WTO Chair Program at FTU. The discussion showed that countries and stakeholders are capable of addressing the challenges facing the international trade system. Experts also focused on and emphasized Vietnam’s international trade activities and suggested that, in the near future, Vietnam, by focusing on internal strengths, digital economic transformation, and green growth, would participate more effectively in the global supply chain.
The second part of the conference featured three parallel presentations and discussions, attracting the interest of many domestic and international experts, with nine presentations and Q&A sessions. These presentations not only focused on traditional international trade issues but also highlighted closely related new issues such as digital trade, trade and gender, trade and the environment, all of which require attention.
At the conclusion of the seminar, Associate Professor, Dr. Trịnh Thị Thu Hương delivered the closing remarks and extended her heartfelt thanks to representatives from government agencies, domestic and international organizations, the business community, and the organizing committee for their important contributions to the success of the conference “Rethinking international trade in responding to emerging challenges.”
