Special Event: 2026 Sustainable Global Leaders Conference & the Second Green Industry and Sustainable Consumption Expo. The 2026 Sustainable Global Leaders Conference was held in Shanghai from October 20 to 22, under the theme "Building a Resilient Future Together: Global Governance, Innovation Drivers, and Industrial Upgrading." WTO Deputy Director-General Zhang Xiangchen delivered a speech.
Zhang Xiangchen stated: "Sustainable development is a far broader concept than green development. It concerns not only how we protect the environment, but also how we create jobs, promote inclusiveness, and ensure the long-term, stable, and balanced development of the world economy."
Regarding environmental sustainability, trade can allocate resources more efficiently, expand markets for environmental goods and services, promote the dissemination of clean technologies, and become an important driving force for green transformation. Zhang Xiangchen also cautioned: "Green transformation must not become a new trade barrier." If measures taken by different countries lack coordination, they will raise the costs for enterprises in developing countries to enter international markets. He emphasized that trade policy and climate policy must support each other rather than offset each other.
On social sustainability, Zhang Xiangchen said bluntly: "The ultimate purpose of trade is not trade itself, but improving people's lives." He said: "We must not only ask how much trade has grown, but also ask who can participate in trade and who can benefit from it." Women-owned enterprises, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, young people, and businesses at the margins of global value chains should all have more opportunities to enter international markets.
Zhang Xiangchen stated that artificial intelligence is bringing new opportunities as well as new challenges. WTO research shows that under different scenarios of policy and technological catch-up, by 2040, AI is expected to increase global trade by 34% to 37%, and global GDP could rise by 12% to 13%. "But these gains will not materialize automatically. If gaps in digital infrastructure, skills, and technological capabilities continue to widen, AI could further widen the gaps between countries, enterprises, and workers," he said.
In the face of these changes, Zhang Xiangchen believes that trade rules need to be reconsidered. He pointed out that "the new opportunities brought by digital and green trade are not yet fully supported by new multilateral rules," and that "this is precisely the important task facing multilateral trade cooperation today." He emphasized: "What we need is not making rules for the sake of making rules, but making rules that respond to reality and enable trade to better serve development."
The following is the full text of the speech:
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:
It is a great pleasure to participate in the 2026 Sustainable Global Leaders Conference. Today, we are discussing sustainable development. I would like to share a few thoughts, particularly from the perspective of trade.
In my view, sustainable development is a far broader concept than green development. It concerns not only how we protect the environment, but also how we create jobs, promote inclusiveness, and ensure the long-term, stable, and balanced development of the world economy.
First, environmental sustainability. Trade can be an important driving force for green transformation. Through trade, we can allocate resources more efficiently, expand markets for environmental goods and services, promote the dissemination of clean technologies, and reduce the costs of green transformation. In recent years, the WTO has continued to advance work on environmental sustainability: by reducing overfishing caused by fisheries subsidies, promoting coordination between trade and environmental policies, and conducting in-depth discussions on issues such as climate change and plastic pollution. At the same time, we must recognize that green transformation must not become a new trade barrier. It is necessary for countries to adopt climate and environmental measures, but if different measures lack coordination, they may increase the costs for enterprises, especially those in developing countries, to enter international markets. Therefore, we need to strengthen international cooperation so that trade policy and climate policy support each other rather than offset each other.
Second, social sustainability. The ultimate purpose of trade is not trade itself, but improving people's lives. Therefore, we must not only ask how much trade has grown, but also ask who can participate in trade and who can benefit from it. Women-owned enterprises, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, young people, and businesses at the margins of global value chains should all have more opportunities to enter international markets. In recent years, the WTO has also been promoting trade and inclusive development, helping micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises and women better utilize the opportunities brought by international trade and digital trade.
Third, the sustainability of the world economy itself. A truly sustainable global economy cannot involve only a small number of economies, a small number of enterprises, and a small number of regions. We especially need to help least-developed countries and other developing economies participate more deeply in global trade and global value chains. The WTO's 2026 World Trade Report points out that least-developed countries still account for less than 1% of global trade, and their trade costs in manufacturing and services are about 50% higher than those of high-income economies. This shows that trade openness alone is not enough; we must also address obstacles in infrastructure, financing, standards, skills, and market access.
At the same time, artificial intelligence is bringing new opportunities as well as new challenges. WTO research shows that under different scenarios of policy and technological catch-up, by 2040, AI is expected to increase global trade by 34% to 37%, and global GDP could rise by 12% to 13%. But these gains will not materialize automatically. If gaps in digital infrastructure, skills, and technological capabilities continue to widen, AI could further widen the gaps between countries, enterprises, and workers.
Therefore, in the face of these changes, we need to reconsider trade rules. The WTO has established a broad set of multilateral trade rules and has accumulated important experience in areas such as the environment, digital trade, investment facilitation, and inclusive trade. But the world economy is changing rapidly, and green transformation, digitalization, artificial intelligence, and the restructuring of global value chains are all generating cross-border issues that did not exist or were not prominent in the past. This means that we must not only make full use of existing rules, but also seriously address new areas not yet covered by the rules. As the 2026 World Trade Report points out, the new opportunities brought by digital and green trade are not yet fully supported by new multilateral rules. I believe this is precisely the important task facing multilateral trade cooperation today. What we need is not making rules for the sake of making rules, but making rules that respond to reality and enable trade to better serve development. This means that in the process of formulating and improving trade rules, we must always uphold the principles of inclusiveness and sustainable development: considering both trade efficiency and development opportunities; encouraging innovation while paying attention to the digital divide; and promoting green transformation while ensuring that developing countries can participate in it and benefit from it.
Ultimately, the sustainable development of trade is not just the sustainable development of trade itself, but also the sustainable development of the global economy. We look forward to achieving more open, inclusive, and effective multilateral cooperation so that trade can continue to serve as a bridge connecting different economies, different enterprises, and different peoples, and become an important force for promoting green transformation, fostering common development, and creating more opportunities. Thank you all.
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