After intense competition through four rounds of preliminary matches, the round of sixteen, the quarterfinals, and the semifinals, the China-EU School of Law Team emerged victorious, winning Second Runner-up and also winning first place for the Best Written Memorandum award -- out of 101 teams competing. The team credits its success to the close and determined cooperation by all eight team members, especially the six who researched, wrote, and hugely supported the two who were chosen oralists for this pre-moot.
From November 29 to December 6, 2024, the 22nd “CIETAC Cup” International Commercial Arbitration Moot Court Competition (“CIETAC Cup”), hosted by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission ( “CIETAC”), was successfully held. The four general rounds were held online this year, with the following stages in person at the CIETAC headquarters. In addition to the team garnering Second Runner-up and Best Written Memorandum, WANG Yizu was honored as the “Best Individual Oralist” in both the Quarter-Finals and Eighth-Finals. JIANG Jipeng was awarded the “Best Individual Oralist” title in the preliminary matches. LI Hanrui was awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award.
Event Introduction
The “CIETAC Cup” is the highest level English language moot court competition in the field of international commercial arbitration in China, and it is also the first global pre-competition and China regional competition recognized by the most internationally influential “Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot” (“Vis Moot”). The 22nd “CIETAC Cup” attracted 101 teams from the UK, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Russia, Hong Kong, Macau, and other countries and regions, as well as from various provinces and cities within China, with over 1,000 young students competing. The judges were more than 250 arbitration experts from 35 countries and regions around the world. The number of participating teams and the number of team members have reached a historical high.
Team Introduction
CESL has one VIS team in Beijing consisting of first year master’s students, indeed the CIETAC victors, who will compete in the Hong Kong finals, and a second team in Hamburg, consisting of students in their second year and who will compete in the Vienna finals. Only the Beijing team members participated in the CIETAC Cup. Both teams are guided by Professors Susan Wintermuth and Monty Silley. The Beijing team consisted of CAO Zejun, HOU Yida, JIANG Jipeng, LI Hanrui, WANG Yizu, XIONG Yuchen, YAN Yingjiao, and YANG Kaixiang from CESL’s double master program 2024 intake (listed in alphabetical order by last name).
Alumni such as BERLIPS Anne, GUO Jingjuan, JIA Shuxian, JIANG Jiaying, LI Kaixu, TAO Zhilin, WANG Chengyue, WU Yuzhuo, ZHAO Huihui, ZHAO Ziwei, and ZHANG Ruohan served as consultants and conducted practice rounds with the team, selflessly providing strong support before and during the competition, reflecting the fine tradition of passing on the torch in our moot court team.
From left to right: CAO Zejun, YANG Kaixiang, LI Hanrui, YAN Yingjiao (second row)
HOU Yida, JIANG Jipeng, Professor Susan Wintermuth, WANG Yizu, XIONG Yuchen (first row)
Competition Background
Memorial Writing Stage
On October 11, 2024, the Vis Moot problem was officially announced. This year’s problem involved issues of jurisdiction and admissibility, admissibility of evidence, and applicable law. Since the release of the problem, the team immediately began working on the Memorandum for Claimant and the Memorandum for Respondent. Four team members were responsible for the substantive part of the memorial, and four were responsible for the procedural part. Based on a thorough understanding of the problem and the legal rules involved, the team used professional legal databases such as Kluwer Arbitration and Jus Mundi, and referred to a large number of documents, English works, and cases to complete the English memorials. Ultimately, the team submitted a claimant’s and then a respondent’s memorandum, each over 100 pages, on November 3 and November 21, respectively. The team was awarded the Best Written Memorandum based on the quality of the two memoranda.
Oral Hearing Preliminary Round
The oral hearing preliminary round was held online from November 29 to December 1. WANG Yizu and JIANG Jipeng competed against teams from Nanjing Tech University, Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, Jinan University, and Heilongjiang University. The contestants were well-prepared and calmly responded to the arbitrators’ questions, fully demonstrating the professional quality and good demeanor of our tram. In the end, among all 101 participating teams, they successfully advanced to the top sixteen and entered the elimination stage.
Snapshots of the Round-Robin Matches
Oral Hearing Elimination Stage
On the afternoon of December 4, in the round of sixteen and quarterfinals, the China-EU School of Law Team competed against Jinan University and Nanjing University teams, respectively, and after fierce competition, advanced to the top four.
Round of Sixteen: Jinan University VS China-EU School of Law
Quarterfinals: Nanjing University VS China-EU School of Law
On the morning of December 5, in the semifinals, the China-EU School of Law team competed against the Shanghai Jiao Tong University team, narrowly missing out on victory.
Semifinals: China-EU School of Law VS Shanghai Jiao Tong University
For many years, the China-EU School of Law has been committed to cultivating students with a profound understanding of both Chinese and Western legal systems for foreign-related rule of law talents. The achievements in this competition are the result of the hard work of all the participants and also benefit from the strong support of the China-EU School of Law for international moot court competitions. Here, we express our sincere gratitude to the professors, alumni, and students who have cared for and helped the team in preparation, training, and competition. We look forward to our team’s continued efforts and achieving greater heights in the Vis East Moot in Hong Kong in March next year and its preliminary competitions.
Text: YAN Yingjiao, Double Master 2024 intake
Image: China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission
Responsible Editor: MA Anna
