Title: The Present and Future of the WTO Dispute Settlement System

Author: Guohua Yang

Abstract: The World Trade Organization (WTO) faces challenges and needs to undergo necessary reforms. However, the WTO dispute settlement is still working, and its function has become even more important in the current trade wars, with 8 cases brought to the WTO in the first half of 2025, 130 members have continued to request the resumption of the Appellate Body 85 times in the past years and 56 members have made appeal arbitration arrangements since 2020 with 3 cases reviewed under the interim system. All these efforts justify the existence of a well-functioning dispute settlement system, although innovation is needed to address new challenges.

Keywords: Functioning of the Dispute Settlement, Resumption of the Appellate Body, Appeal Arbitration