论坛以“AI时代电商的机遇与实践”为主题，围绕人工智能时代电子商务发展机遇、数字贸易创新实践、中小企业数字化转型等议题展开交流，为推动数字丝路建设、促进全球数字经济合作提供了务实方案与合作路径。薛虹教授以“Agentic Commerce: A Legal Guide for Digital Silk Road MSMEs”为题作主题演讲，深入探讨了中小企业在丝路电商中应用人工智能体涉及的主要法律风险及应当策略。薛教授的研究受到了来自非洲、印度尼西亚等与会各方的高度重视与欢迎。
The Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum (APTFF) is the leading regional platform for the exchange of good practices and knowledge on trade facilitation. The 2026 Forum, themed with “Next Generation Trade Digitalization—Advancing Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation” was held as a special joint edition with Paperless Trade Week (PTW) on 8-12 June. The Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum x Paperless Trade Week 2026 (APTFF x PTW 2026) attracted over 300 participants from more than 30 countries. The policymakers, practitioners, and experts for panel discussions joined the interactive sessions, and knowledge-sharing dialogues. These engagements aimed to generate practical solutions for trade facilitation through digital transformation.
Prof. Xue was invited to speak on 9 June 2026 at the Plenary 1: Artificial Intelligence in Trade Facilitation: State of Play and Way Forward, which was the key highlight of the event. The ADB–ESCAP joint report, “Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Report 2026: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence in Trade Facilitation”, which explores key opportunities, challenges, and policy implications for applying artificial intelligence in trade facilitation, was officially launched at the Plenary. Prof. Xue talked about the legal risks and uncertainties in adopting AI for TF measures, such as malfunction and hallucination, cybersecurity issues caused by agentic AI, algorithm blackbox, and legal compliance on personal data protection and anti-bias. Prof. Xue emphasized that coherent International standards and legal framework be developed for advancement of AI governance and the relevant regional and international agreements on standards, risk management, accountability be implemented for quickly evolving AI deployment in TF. Prof. Xue concluded that all the parties shall get together to prevent the digital divide becoming an AI divide, build the trustworthy environment to enhance legal certainty and clarify the liability rules, and create an enabling environment for SMEs and digital TF.
UNCITRAL Asia Pacific Day Memorial Lecture & BNU International Expert Lecture Series (Number 9) was successfully held on November 25, 2025 at the Law School of Beijing Normal University.
Professor Xue Hong, Director of Beijing Normal University Institute for Internet Policy & Law, talked at the beginning that BNU is one of the CLOUT Partner Organizations and has been working closely with UNCITRAL and RCAP. Prof. Xue then invited Ms. Athita Komindr, Head of UNCITRAL Regional Center for Asia and Pacific (RCAP), to give the keynote speech. Although joining the event virtually, Ms. Komindr gave an energetic presentation, introducing the wide range of works conducted by the RCAP and briefing for the BNU students the possibility to apply for the UN internship. Ms. Komindr’s rick experience in capacity building and international engagement impressed all the audience. Prof. Xue later invited Dr. Luca Castellani, Legal Officer in the Secretariat of UNCITRAL, gave the keynote speech on the UNCITRAL Newest Model Law on Automatic Contracting (MLAC). Dr. Castellani is a long-time friend of BNU and has been working for a decade as the secretary of UNCITRAL Working Group IV (E-Commerce). He went through the history of e-commerce lawmaking at UNCITRAL from 1990s to 21 century and elaborated the legal impacts of all the key provisions of MLAC.
The speech was highly interesting to the students and many of them approached to ask questions and tried to interact with Dr. Castellani who also joined the event online. Despite the technical difficulties of online presentation, the whole event was very successfully completed. The graduate students and international exchange students from China, Italy, Tanzania, etc. reflected very positively to this fruitful and interactive academic experience.
