The 2025-2026 Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition (IEMCC) East Asian Regional Rounds (EARR), hosted by Soongsil University, South Korea, officially concluded on November 24.
The team from Peking University School of Transnational Law (STL) emerged victorious, claiming the championship and successfully qualifying for the international rounds. This marks STL's third regional championship in the past five years, following wins in the 2023-2024 and 2020-2021 cycles, continuing the school's strong performance in the field of international environmental law mooting.
STL Team Claims Championship
The Stetson IEMCC, founded in 1996 and hosted by Stetson University College of Law in the US, is one of the most globally influential moot court competitions in the field of international environmental law. The competition is conducted entirely in English and consists of two stages: regional rounds and international rounds. The regional rounds cover ten regions, including North America, the UK & Ireland, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, featuring intense competition and bringing together top teams from law schools worldwide.
This year's competition problem focused on "Prior Informed Consent and Benefit Sharing," involving core issues such as state control over genetic resources, compliance in cross-border scientific research, and biodiversity conservation. It prompted in-depth discussion on legal topics surrounding Prior Informed Consent (PIC), benefit-sharing, and the ethics of transnational research alongside environmental risk prevention and control. The complex problem posed high demands on teams' knowledge of international environmental law, case analysis skills, and oral advocacy.
The STL team was coached by Senior Lecturer Christian Pangilinan. Student coaching was provided by Tang Luyang (J.D. class of 2023), a member of last year's Jessup-Stetson International Environmental Moot Court team. The team also received assistance from Ms. Qiu Xiaoya, Director of the International Cooperation Office, and support from last year's Jessup-Stetson International Environmental Moot Court team members Li Zhiyao, Lin Hongwei, and Lin Keyue (listed alphabetically by surname). The team members comprised Luo Xiao, Peng Jiansu, and Qiu Yiran (all J.D. class of 2024).
STL Team (from left to right): Coach Christian Pangilinan, Peng Jiansu, Luo Xiao, Qiu Yiran, Student Coach Tang Luyang
The competition ran from November 20th to 24th, featuring a tight schedule and fierce competition. After intensive preparation, the STL team ultimately won the championship (Soongsil's Gold Medal) with an outstanding performance, successfully advancing to the international rounds. All three team members received Oralist Awards for the preliminary rounds. Among them, Luo Xiao received the Best Oralist award for the preliminary rounds, and Peng Jiansu received the Best Oralist in the Final Round award.
Team members at the awards ceremony
The competition consisted of two parts: memorial (written submission) writing and oral pleadings. During the memorial writing process, Coach Christian Pangilinan guided the team through case analysis and research, meticulously reviewing and revising the memorial word by word. The memorial, co-authored by the three team members representing the Respondent State of Ridus, presented arguments focusing on the scope of Prior Informed Consent (PIC), the interpretation of the 2009 agreement between the parties, the definition of so-called "unforeseen uses," and the relationship between scientific research activities and environmental protection objectives. It argued that the actions in the case were based on legal authorization, did not trigger new PIC obligations, and did not violate the fair sharing or environmental protection obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity. The memorial writing process relied not only on the diligent research and critical thinking of the three team members but also on the careful guidance and inspiration from Coach Christian Pangilinan.
During the preliminary rounds, the STL team competed against Team A from Hiroshima University (representing the Respondent), China University of Political Science and Law (representing the Claimant), and Ocean University of China (representing the Respondent), successfully advancing to the semi-finals. Before and after each round, Coach Christian Pangilinan and Student Coach Tang Luyang led the team through training sessions and post-round reviews, using practice moots and rapid-fire Q&A sessions to refine the members' argumentation, response angles, and research directions.
Qiu Yiran and Peng Jiansu representing Side A
Luo Xiao and Peng Jiansu representing Side R
In the semi-finals, the STL team faced Hiroshima University Team A. According to the rules for the semi-finals and final, sides were determined by a coin toss immediately before the round. During their pleadings, team members Qiu Yiran and Peng Jiansu addressed the two main contentious issues of the case. With a firm grasp of the facts and legal sources, they systematically deconstructed the opposing arguments and presented clear and persuasive rebuttals. During the questioning periods, both students responded agilely to consecutive questions from the judges, answering flexibly from perspectives including state practice, rules of treaty interpretation in international environmental law, and environmental risk assessment, demonstrating solid legal foundations and strong impromptu response skills. With steady performance and rigorous argumentation, the STL team successfully advanced to the final, securing qualification for the international rounds.
STL team with semi-final judges and Hiroshima University Team A
In the final round, the STL team competed against the team from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, drawing the Respondent side via coin toss. Facing a formidable opponent, team members Luo Xiao and Peng Jiansu, arguing from the Respondent state's position, presented arguments centered on core issues including Prior Informed Consent (PIC), the definition of unforeseen uses, biodiversity conservation obligations, and state sovereignty. During the oral proceedings, they countered the opponent's points with rigorous factual analysis and clear legal reasoning, and responded thoroughly to the judges' probing questions, maintaining a steady pace and logical flow throughout. The professional competence and collaborative spirit displayed by the team were unanimously recognized by the judges. Ultimately, the STL team achieved the result of East Asian Regional Champions.
STL team achieves East Asian Regional Championship
STL team with Southwestern University of Finance and Economics team
Throughout the Stetson IEMCC East Asian Regional Rounds, the STL team fully demonstrated the proactive competitive spirit, solid legal expertise, and academic proficiency combining theoretical depth and international perspective characteristic of STL students. Moving forward, the team will continue to leverage its strengths, constantly improving its memorial writing standards and oral advocacy skills, striving for further self-breakthroughs at higher levels of competition. In April 2026, the STL team will represent the school at the international rounds in the United States. Let us look forward to their continued perseverance and outstanding achievements on the global stage!
