China and the World Economy

Long Yongtu, Vice Minister and Chief Representative for Trade Negotiations of China’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC) from 1997 to 2003, delivered the Institute's Fourth Annual Niarchos lecture. As the Chief Negotiator for China’s resumption of GATT contracting party status and its accession to the World Trade Organization, Mr. Long dedicated over 10 years to this prolonged trade negotiation to bring China into the global trading system. He then turned to the equally challenging task of implementing the new international rules within China, explaining and selling the new international requirements to provincial, municipal, and party leaders throughout China. Through this process, Ambassador Long launched a truly historic transformation of both his own country and the world trading system during his tenure in office. Apart from trade negotiations, Mr. Long was also in charge of multilateral economic and trade affairs between China and the United Nations development agencies. He was extensively involved in APEC affairs and attended the APEC meetings of trade ministers annually from 1992 to 2001.

Mr. Long received his bachelor’s degree in British and American Literature at Guizhou University in 1965 and did his postgraduate study in economics at the London School of Economics from 1973 to 1974. Ambassador Long joined MOFTEC in 1965 and served as a diplomat in the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations in New York from 1978 to 1980. From 1980 to 1986, he worked in the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), first in its New York headquarters and then in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as the Deputy Resident Representative of the UNDP Office. Mr. Long returned to China in 1986 and became Deputy Director-General of the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE). In January 1992, Mr. Long was appointed Director-General of the Department of International Relations, MOFTEC, and Assistant Minister of the Ministry in April 1994.

Mr. Long is now Secretary-General of the Boao Forum for Asia. He is also Dean of the School of International Relations and Public Affairs at Fudan University and a visiting professor at Peking University, Tsinghua University, Renmin University, Nankai University, Zhejiang University, and Wuhan University. Mr. Long received a special award by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in October 2004 for his outstanding contribution to the United Nations partnership in China and for promoting the values of the United Nations.