Congratulations | STL Team Wins Runner-Up at the 23rd John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition East Asia and Oceania Regional Round

On March 3, 2025, the East Asia & Oceania Regional Round of the 23rd John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition concluded successfully in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This prestigious competition brought together top law school teams from China, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and beyond. After five months of intensive preparation, the Peking University School of Transnational Law (STL) team advanced to the semifinals and finals as the highest-ranked team in the preliminary rounds. Ultimately, they secured the Runner-Up Team of the East Asia and Oceania Round, along with Best Overall Written Submission and Best Respondent’s Written Submission, earning a spot in the Global Final in Geneva.

The John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition (formerly the ELSA Moot Court Competition on WTO Law) was established in 2001 by the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA). It is the only WTO Secretariat-accredited student moot court competition and one of the most prestigious and influential global contests in WTO law. Every year, it attracts teams from nearly a hundred universities worldwide. The competition is judged by distinguished WTO scholars, legal practitioners, and WTO legal officers. The tournament follows a two-tier system, with teams first competing in regional rounds across five continents before advancing to the Global Final in Geneva.

This year’s case centered on cutting-edge issues in digital trade regulation, encompassing key substantive disputes, such as GATS national treatment, most-favored-nation treatment, and non-tariff barriers under GATT Article XI. Additionally, it delved into the necessity test standard in WTO jurisprudence, as well as emerging challenges in the digital era, including algorithmic governance and data sovereignty. The case rigorously examined the evolving balance between cultural sovereignty, data governance rights, and trade liberalization within the WTO framework.

STL team was coached by Ms. Qiu Xiaoya, Director of Moot Court Competition, and Mr. Xu Ruixiang, Senior C.V. Starr Senior Lecturer of Law. The team members included Chen Zehao, Wang Shiyu, and Yang Yudie (Class of 2023), with invaluable advice and support from Zhang Yuanrui and Wang Yuhan (Class of 2022), who had previously participated in the competition.

With the East Asia & Oceania Regional Round concluded, our team now sets its sights on the Global Final at the WTO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, in June 2025. Building on this success, STL team will refine its legal arguments and advocacy skills, striving to achieve even greater results on the international stage and to showcase the strength of China’s foreign-related legal talent.

This outstanding achievement is a testament to the collective efforts of STL students and faculty and reflects STL’s commitment to internationalized legal education. Let us all look forward to seeing this ambitious team shine in Geneva this June!