The Chinese edition of the 2025 World Trade Report was released on Nov 6 during a parallel session of the 8th China International Import Expo.

The report, a flagship publication of the World Trade Organization, analyzes key issues in global economic and trade development.

This year's edition explores the potential of artificial intelligence in driving international trade and promoting inclusive AI growth.

In his opening remarks, Han Yong, director general of the Department of WTO Affairs under China's Ministry of Commerce, called for greater efforts to establish standards in areas such as cross-border data transfer and protection of source code.

"We must leverage rules as a tool to steer the direction of the AI era, ensuring its technological dividends are tangibly translated into inclusive development. This requires proactively shaping a global governance framework for trade and AI," said Han.

Johanna Hill, deputy director general of the WTO, said in a video address that, by 2040, AI is expected to boost global services trade by 40 percent and global GDP by 12 to 13 percent.

However, she emphasized the need to ensure the benefits are shared across countries to narrow development gaps, said Hill.

Closing the AI divide would almost double the growth for low-income countries without compromising that of higher-income countries, Hill said.

"AI systems are only as strong as their weakest link. Vulnerabilities in one country's systems can cascade globally interoperable standards," she added.

Other guest speakers noted that AI is reshaping the global trading landscape at unprecedented speed. They urged countries to avoid restrictive trade and investment policies and cooperate on AI governance, with the WTO playing a central role in ensuring that AI benefits all.