The Fifth National Diplomatic Negotiations Simulation Competition for University Students was held at China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU) from November 3rd -5th. The event was hosted by CFAU, supported by the Department of Personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC, and co-organized by the Chinese Communist Youth League (CCYL) Committee of CFAU and the Current Affairs Study Association (CASA) of CFAU.
The judges invited to the final were Guo Chongli, China’s former ambassador to Kenya, former representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and incumbent vice-chairman of China Foundation for International Studies (CFIS), Sun Yuxi, former deputy Director-General of the Information Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, and China’s former ambassador to Afghanistan, India, Italy, and Poland, Wu Sike, former Director-General of the Department of West Asian and North African Affairs of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC, former ambassador of China to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, former plenipotentiary of China to the League of Arab States (LAS), and China’s special envoy to the Middle East, Wan Xuejun, minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of CCYL, Xia Liping, professor in the Department of Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs Management of CFAU, Xu Tiefei, deputy director of Examination and Training Center of the Department of Personnel of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC, and Liang Xiaojun, associate professor in the Department of Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs Management of CFAU. Zhang Zhen, deputy secretary of CPC Committee of CFAU and Wan Xuejun, minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of CCYL. Before the final, Deputy Secretary Zhang expressed her gratitude to all ambassadors, relevant departments and people of all circles for their constant support for the competition. She pointed out that the diplomatic negotiations simulation competition is an application of simulation teaching by CFAU included in China's Double World-Class Project, which is an initiative aimed at developing world-class universities and first-class disciplines. The competition also provided a platform for all university students to gain experience and learn from each other, and thus helped prepare China’s most promising young minds for major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. She expressed her hope that more youth would participate in the competitions hosted by CFAU, including the National Diplomatic Negotiations Simulation Competition, and combine their dreams with Chinese diplomacy so as to make their contributions to China’s rejuvenation and the world’s lasting peace, security, prosperity, openness, inclusiveness, and sustainability.
Minister Wan spoke highly of the National Diplomatic Negotiations Simulation Competition for its positive impact. He mentioned in his speech that with its rising influence, a more confident and open China is striding toward the center of the global stage. Thus, it is of great significance for the youth to make a difference in the development of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. The youth should live up to the high expectations of the Party and our country and become qualified for China’s diplomacy and foreign services.
The National Diplomatic Negotiations Simulation Competition was a professional contest initiated by CFAU in 2013, aiming to evaluate the diplomatic competence and negotiation skills in university students. The Fifth National Diplomatic Negotiations Simulation Competition for University Students attracted the participation of students from 23 universities in China, such as Tsinghua University, Peking University, Nankai University, and Shandong University. Each delegation consisted of three members, with one serving as major negotiator, assistant negotiator, and press officer in diplomatic negotiations simulation and the press conference. After the fierce preliminary round, the three teams representing CFAU, Tsinghua University and China University of Political Science and Law stood out and qualified themselves for the final and they were spoken highly of by the judges for their extensive knowledge and great adaptability. Finally, the delegation from CFAU won the championship and the second and the third places went to China University of Political Science and Law and Tsinghua University, respectively.
Apart from the formal arrangements for competition, there were also theme lectures organized by the host. Under the theme of Memories of Sino-Soviet Union, Sino-Russia Negotiations Yao Peisheng shared with the students the experience and skills gained from actual diplomatic negotiations. He was former director of the Office of Sino-Soviet Union Negotiation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chinese head on Border Negotiation, former Director-General of the Department of European-Central Asian Affairs of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC, and former ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.
The Fifth National Diplomatic Negotiations Simulation Competition for University Students was held when the 19th National Congress of CPC came to a close. President Xi Jinping clarified in the blueprint for China’s diplomacy in the new era that major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics aims to foster a new type of international relations and build a community with a shared future for mankind. This places a higher requirement for those devoted to China’s diplomacy in the new era. Through a series of activities typical of “extracurricular teaching”, including the simulation negotiations, exchanges through forums and pre-competition training, this competition inspires the contestants to form a global vision and make objective analysis of current affairs. Furthermore, it inspires the students to focus on China’s diplomacy and the status quo of the current world so as to groom China’s most promising young minds by preparing them for service in major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era.
