Champions! STL Team Achieves Excellent Results at the 23rd Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition China Rounds

From February 15th to 18th, 2025, the 23rd Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition China Rounds were held at the Haidian Campus of China University of Political Science and Law. This all-English competition gathered elite students from 66 top law schools, including Peking University, Renmin University of China, Beijing Normal University, China University of Political Science and Law, East China University of Political Science and Law, etc., to compete on the same stage. After four days of intense competition, the Peking University School of Transnational Law (STL) team emerged victorious with an undefeated record. They clinched the China Rounds championship and the National First Prize, and qualified for the international rounds to be held in Washington, D.C., USA, in April 2025. This is the second national championship for STL since its first victory in 2013, showcasing STL’s exceptional strength and continuous progress in the field of international law.

In the preliminary stage, the STL team qualified for the knockout rounds with an outstanding 4-0 record in the round-robin matches. In the knockout phase, the team members, relying on their solid legal knowledge, excellent court debate skills, and seamless teamwork, won four consecutive crucial battles. In the finals, they convinced the panel of judges with meticulous logic and persuasive arguments, winning the China Rounds championship and earning the National First Prize. Team members Tang Luyang, Lin Hongwei, and Lin Keyu were honored with the title of “Best Oralist” for their remarkable performances.

This year’s competition focused on cutting-edge controversies in public international law, covering four core issues: the criteria for recognizing the legitimate government of a state, boundaries of immunity for government officials, legal consequences of coastline retreat, and interpretation of arbitration clauses in regional organization treaties. The complexity and challenges of the competition topics imposed high demands on the participants. Despite heavy academic workloads and a demanding competition schedule, the team members scientifically planned their time, reasonably allocated their energy, conducted extensive case retrieval and legal research, and wrote detailed legal briefs, laying a solid foundation for the competition.

Since preparing for the competition in July 2024, the STL team has undergone systematic training with full support from STL. Guided by Senior Lecturer Christian Pangilinan and Assistant Professor Kevin W. Gray, and with student coaches Li Jieran (Class of 2022) and Hu Minghao (C lass of 2021), the team members, including Lin Hongwei, Lin Keyu, Tang Luyang, and Li Zhiyao (Class of 2023), received careful guidance from teachers such as STL Director of Moot Court Competitions Qiu Xiaoya, Senior C.V. Starr Lecturer Xu Ruixiang, and Pu Jinke. The team also expressed gratitude to alumni Chen Liang, as well as previous Jessup team members Huang Bowen, and Stetson team members An Chenglong, Sun Chen, and Yang Yiqing, for their valuable advice and assistance.

Throughout the preparation period, the team members faced the dual pressures of intensive academic studies and the competition schedule. They overcame difficulties with a craftsman’s spirit of constant improvement. Even during the Spring Festival, the team continued their court practice without interruption, striving for perfection in every aspect, from legal research to oral presentations, and from time management to psychological adjustment, making their winter vacation both fulfilling and intense.

The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is known as the “Olympic Games” of the international legal community. Organized by the International Law Students Association (ILSA), it is the largest and oldest legal debate competition in the world, with over 900 universities from more than 100 countries participating annually to compete for the glory of the global finals. This competition not only promotes the study and research of public international law but has also become a key indicator for evaluating the quality of legal education, academic reputation, and international influence of universities. For law students, participating in Jessup is a highly regarded credential for applying to prestigious law schools worldwide or joining top foreign-related law firms.

This championship marks a leapfrog breakthrough for STL, following the third-place finish in the China Rounds of the 21st Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in 2023. It showcases STL’s educational philosophy of “rooted in China, facing the world” and its teaching characteristic of “equal emphasis on theory and practice.” In recent years, STL has built a three-dimensional system for cultivating talents in foreign-related legal affairs through innovative initiatives such as all-English common law courses, international mock trial training, and lectures by top global scholars. This outstanding achievement is a vivid illustration of this strategy – from brief writing to court debate, from international legal principles to cross-cultural communication, the exceptional abilities demonstrated by the team members on the court are the fruitful results of STL’s deep commitment to international legal education.

This remarkable achievement not only reflects the level of legal education at STL but also vividly interprets STL’s strategy for cultivating talents in foreign-related legal affairs. Behind this glorious achievement lie the diligent efforts and unremitting endeavors of the team members, as well as the meticulous guidance of the coaching team and the close collaboration among teammates. At the same time, it underscores STL’s high attention and full support for international moot court competitions.

With the successful conclusion of the China Rounds, the STL team is set to compete in the international rounds to be held in Washington, D.C., USA, around April 5, 2025. Taking this victory as a new starting point, this young team will thoroughly review its experience from the China Rounds, further refine its legal arguments and court debate skills, and strive to achieve outstanding results on the international stage, sending a strong message about China’s talents in foreign-related legal affairs to the world!

Congratulations once again to the Peking University School of Transnational Law team! May you carry the honor and expectations and continue STL’s legendary success on the international stage!