STL Adds to Moot Court Achievements with National Championship at WTO Moot Court in Beijing

By Eric H. Mao, Director of Academic Affairs

Continuing a two-year reign of dominance for Peking University School of Transnational Law (STL) teams, STL’s WTO Law Moot Court squad won the national championship of the Third Annual China WTO Moot Court Competition in Beijing from December 12-14.

The team, composed of two students drawn from each of STL’s three upper-level classes, exemplified superb oral advocacy and analytical ability. Team members were: Xie Longping ’15, Yu Sanya ’15, Zhao Yuhui ’16, Zhou Zixi ’16, Li Jiaxing ’17, and Zhang Yan ’17. The team was also led by their coach, C.V. Starr Lecturer of Law Chen Song.

Eighteen teams attended the competition, each participating in two preliminary rounds. After advancing as one of the top four teams, the WTO team faced and then defeated Wuhan University in the semi-finals where they argued on behalf of the moot problem’s complainant. In the final round, the team switched sides, arguing on behalf of the respondent and then beating Xiamen University. Complainant oralists were Xie and Zhou while respondent oralists were Yu and Zhao. Both Yu and Zhao earned Best Oralist awards. Prof. Song was also recognized as Best Coach.

Xie remarked, “It was really an exciting experience to participate in the competition. In the past months, the whole team worked together closely and diligently. We also gained strength from the legal writing and oral advocacy skills learned through our STL classes. Gratitude to our professors who helped make the impossible possible for us.”

Zhou added, “What a fantastic opportunity this was. There were very competitive participants from all over the country. It was our hard work and teamwork that brought us to the final, and more importantly, the study at STL that well-prepared us for all the challenges on the way to championship.”

The competition, conducted entirely in English, was hosted by the China University of Political Science and Law and co-sponsored by the Department of Treaty and Law at the Ministry of Commerce. The moot problem is the same as that used by the ELSA Moot Court Competition on WTO Law in which the team will also compete starting in February at the Asia-Pacific Regional Round in Manila.

Going back to Spring 2013, STL moot court teams have won four national championships including a victory at the Jessup International Law Moot Court and two CIETAC Cups.