3 Apr 2020
My Winter/Summer Academy Experience at the WTI: Christine Jiang - Registration for the 2020 Summer Academy open NOW
The instructors at WTI are incredibly qualified and engaging. Not only do they hold the relevant academic qualifications, they often have also had real-life professional experience as trade negotiators or trade lawyers, working with or at international financial institutions.
Christine Jiang
Each year, the WTI offers courses covering cutting-edge issues in trade and investment law and policy which are designed for professionals as well as advanced master and PhD students. The Winter and Summer Academies also attract a vast number of people from abroad who wish to strengthen their knowledge and expertise in trade and investment law. Read our interview with Christine Jiang, an Oxford graduate from Hong Kong, who participated in a previous WTI Winter Academy.
What’s your name and where are you from?
My name is Christine (CJ) and I grew up in Hong Kong, finished high school in Sydney, Australia, but have been living in the UK for the past 4 years.
What’s your academic background?
I graduated from St John’s College, University of Oxford with a BA (Hons) in History & Politics in 2019.
How did you hear about the WTI Winter and Summer Academies?
I heard about the WTI Winter Academy through participating in the Model WTO hosted by the University of St Gallen in 2019! As the prize for being awarded the ‘Best Delegate’, I was able to enrol in any WTI Winter or Summer Academy course of my choice.
Which courses have you attended and why?
I attended the course ‘The Law and Policy of Trade in Services’ taught by Pierre Sauvé and Jan Bohanes. Trade in services continues to occupy a relatively small place in trade negotiations despite the growing role that it plays in the global economy. I thought it was timely to learn about both the legal and political-economic side of services trade, as developments like e-commerce proliferate.
What makes these courses stand out from the rest of similar offers?
The instructors at WTI are incredibly qualified and engaging. Not only do they hold the relevant academic qualifications, they often have also had real-life professional experience as trade negotiators or trade lawyers, working with or at international financial institutions. This means that they are able to provide insight into the complex politics of trade negotiations and how trade policies are enacted on the ground. It also fills the classes with humourous anecdotes!
Would you recommend attending the WTI Winter and Summer Academies?
I would definitely recommend the WTI Winter and Summer Academies. As someone who has recently finished their undergraduate degree and is exploring graduate study in a related field, the week-long course provided an appropriate level of depth into trade issues, whilst offering two complementary lenses through which to view services trade: law and policy. The course also allows you to network with other students and professionals working in the field: during my week at WTI, I met other WTI masters students, a colleague from another office specialising in international trade, and a junior trade negotiator.
Thank you very much for the interview!
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