On July 11, 2025 (Beijing Time), Hainan University won the Chinese edition of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Moot Court Competition during the final round in the ICC’s Courtroom III at The Hague, the Netherlands.

Hainan University team at the award ceremony

ICC Moot Court Competitions are part of the ICC Academic programme, and are organized in English, Spanish, French and Chinese. These initiatives play a critical role in enhancing promotion and respect for international criminal law as well as

promoting academic interest in the Court’s work.

The teams competed on a fictitious case, presenting oral arguments in the roles of the Prosecution Counsel, Common Legal Representative of the Victims and Defence Counsel. The competition was live-streamed on the Court’s website.

Hainan University team presents oral arguments in the Final Round

The Chinese version of ICC Moot Court Competition 2025 is co-organized by Leiden University and the Chinese Initiative on International Law (CIIL). One hundred and six universities nationwide participated in the preliminary rounds of this year’s competition. Only 12 teams advanced to the finals at The Hague, including Hainan University, Tsinghua University and Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Hainan University was represented by Cui Wenbo (2021-entry undergraduate) as student coach, Zou Tingting (2022-entry undergraduate) as team captain & researcher, Lyu Shuxin and Fang Jingyi (2022-entry undergraduates) as oralists, Qi Feiyang (2022-entry undergraduate) as researcher and Zhang Yixin (2023-entry undergraduate) as researcher.

Coached by Dr. Duan Wen and Associate Professor Wei Decai from the School of Law, the team achieved a perfect nine-victory record from the preliminary rounds through to the finals, ultimately claiming the championship.

Translated by Li Chuanrui

Proofread by Jin Ying