FDI Moot Shenzhen 2024 Held in the SCIA Tower, Shenzhen, Nurturing Chinese Young Legal Talents for Global Competition
On August 4, 2024, the closing ceremony of the FDI Moot Shenzhen 2024, co-hosted by the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA) and the South China International Arbitration Center (Hong Kong) (SCIA HK) was held at the SCIA Tower in Qianhai, Shenzhen.
The competition adheres to the principles of ‘Toward the World, the Future, and the Youth’, connecting world-leading resources to provide a learning platform and practical opportunities for the Chinese young legal talents in the field of international arbitration. Compared to previous years, this year’s competition introduced several new features as outlined below:
1. A More Internationalized Competition
Over 200 arbitrators from more than 30 countries and regions participated as judges in the FDI Moot Shenzhen 2024. Prominent figures such as Anthony Neoh, SC, Vice Chairman of the SCIA Council, Chairman of the Board of the SCIA HK and Former Chairman of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, Anselmo Reyes, SC, SCIA Arbitrator, Member of the International Commercial Expert Committee of the Supreme People’s Court, International Judge at Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) and Former Judge of the High Court of the Hong Kong SAR, and Prof. Chin Leng Lim, SCIA Arbitrator and Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, held positions of the arbitral tribunal for the finals.
2. Received Greater Support
24 international organizations and renowned cross-border arbitration institutions supported the competition. Ms. Martina Polasek, Secretary-General of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), Ms. Athita Komindr, Head of the UNCITRAL Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific (UNCITRAL RCAP), Paul Lam Ting-kwok, SBS, SC, JP, Secretary for Justice of the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR Government, and Ms. Cao Saixian, Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, delivered speeches at the closing ceremony. Meanwhile, Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR government, Legal Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR government, Foreign Affairs Office of Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, and Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, provided solid support to the competition. 17 prestigious domestic and international law firms also contributed their professional expertise to this year’s Moot.
3. More Activities during the Competition
This year’s competition released a lively animated short film of the contest topics, and the finals were broadcast live globally, with more than 60,000 people watched online. The international impact of the competition was further enhanced through the online and on-site hybrid mode. In addition to the intense competition, the supporting organizations also arranged a variety of study tours, learning exchanges and other activities, providing the participating teams with more opportunities to gain an in-depth understanding of international legal practices.
Group Photo of the Closing Ceremony
After a fierce competition, the representative team from the China University of Political Science and Law won the championship. The Tsinghua University School of Law took the runner-up, while the representative teams from the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics and the University of Hong Kong tied for second runner-up. Additionally, Zhao Yuyang from the School of Law of Tsinghua University was awarded Best Oralist. The top nine teams in this year’s competition will directly advance to the FDI MOOT 2024 GLOBAL FINALS, which will be held in Berlin, Germany, this November.
Top eight teams (order by pinyin): Peking University Law School, Shandong University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Renmin University of China Law School.
The top eight teams above are qualified for the global finals.
Top 16 Teams (order by pinyin): Peking University of Transnational Law (ranked 9th, qualified for the global finals), University of International Business and Economics, East China University of Political Science and Law, Xiamen University, Tongji University, Wuhan University School of Law, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, and China-EU School of Law at the China University of Political Science and Law.
Best Oralist
Champion Team
Runner-Up Team
Second Runner-Up Teams
First Prize Teams
Second Prize Teams
Honorable Mentioned Advocates
Anthony Neoh, SC, Vice Chairman of the SCIA Council, Chairman of the Board of the SCIA HK and Former Chairman of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, delivered a speech on behalf of the SCIA and SCIA HK.
Ms. Cao Saixian, Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, delivered a speech.
Paul Lam Ting-kwok, SBS, SC, JP, Secretary for Justice of the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR Government, delivered a speech online.
Ms. Martina Polasek, Secretary-General of ICSID, delivered a speech online.
Ms. Athita Komindr, Head of the UNCITRAL RCAP, delivered a speech online.
Mr. Yang Chen, Managing Partner of Jincheng Tongda & Neal (JT&N), delivered a speech.
Ms. Peng Yanbing, Deputy Legal Counsel from the International Cooperation and Development Department of the SCIA, hosted the finals and closing ceremony.
Exciting Moments in the Finals
Closing Ceremony
Highlights of the Competition
Highlights of the Competitors
In October 2020, the SCIA launched the first FDI MOOT Shenzhen, which is the first time that the “Foreign Direct Investment International Arbitration Moot (FDI MOOT)” was introduced to China and settled in Shenzhen. This marked the beginning of Shenzhen as a pilot demonstration zone to start the establishment of an international investment arbitration hub, which also help to create a more globally influential business environment under the rule of law. In the future, the SCIA will continue to cultivate young legal talents in international arbitration, and is committed to building an international arbitration hub linking Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR and facing the world.
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