Open Statement to the Authors, Readers, and Academic Community of the China and WTO Review

Dear Scholars, Authors, and Readers:

We regret to confirm that our journal is currently facing significant challenges due to our failure to consistently meet the stringent quality standards of core international academic databases in recent operations.

As Editor-in-Chief, on behalf of the editorial board, I extend my sincerest apologies to all authors, peer reviewers, and academic colleagues who have long supported this journal and are affected by this change. We deeply understand that many researchers rely on high-quality indexed journals for academic pursuits, promotions, and research project completion; we have failed to live up to your trust.

Facing the Problem: Why Did This Happen?

We will not shy away from the problem. The fundamental reason for this removal lies in our failure to strictly uphold the lifeline of "academic quality" during rapid development and daily operations. We have undeniable management oversights in the rigor of peer review, the transparency of editorial oversight, and the monitoring of abnormal academic behavior. Our failure to promptly identify and intercept manuscripts that do not meet quality standards or have methodological flaws ultimately led to this extremely severe penalty.

Immediate Action: Our Commitment to Rectification

We will not seek any shortcuts, but rather view this period as an essential step for the journal to "scrape the bone and rebuild trust." Effective immediately, we will launch the following comprehensive rectification measures:

**Thorough Review of Historical Articles:** We will establish an independent academic review panel to conduct retrospective reviews of all recently published articles. Any article found to contain academic misconduct, peer review fraud, or serious quality deficiencies will be resolutely retracted or an editorial notice will be issued to correct the academic record.

**Reorganization of the Editorial Board and Peer Reviewer Pool:** We will reassess and invite senior experts in international trade and economic law to join the editorial board, strictly implementing the "double-blind peer review" system to ensure that every accepted article undergoes substantial and rigorous scientific review.

**Introduction of a Strict Academic Ethics Monitoring System:** We will upgrade our submission and review system to severely crack down on any form of academic misconduct such as citation manipulation and ghostwriting.