From December 10 to 12, the 18th CASC Cup Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition of China Institute of Space Law was held online under the guidance of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and sponsored by the China Institute of Space Law. Thirty teams from 21 universities across China, including Peking University, Beihang University, Beijing Institute of Technology, China University of Political Science and Law, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, East China University of Political Science and Law, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, and Wuhan University, participated in this competition.
With the support of Wuhan University Undergraduate School, Wuhan University School of Law, Wuhan University Academy of International Law and Global Governance and Wuhan University Institute of International Law, two teams from Wuhan University participated in this year's competition. These two teams won the second prize (the fourth and sixth place overall). Three members, Guo Shufan, Luo Yirui and Xu Junhan, won the "Excellent Debaters" award, and the instructor, Professor Su Jinyuan, won the "Best Book Guidance Award".
This year's WHU team is coached by Prof. Su Jinyuan, with class of 2020 master's student Cha Hanhui as the assistant coach and team leader. The official team members of Wuhan University's first team include Li Xiang, a master's student of class 2021, Jin Jing and Guo Shufan, undergraduates of class 2019. The official team members of Wuhan University second team include Xu Junhan, a master's student of class 2020, Luo Yirui, a master's student of class 2021, and Zhang Yahui, an undergraduate student of class of 2018. Meanwhile, Lin Jiayue and Han Ruoqi, master's students of class 2021, Ma Xining, an undergraduate student of class 2018, and Chen Sirui, an undergraduate student of class 2019, made important contributions as supporting players. During the preparation period, Prof. Huang Jiefang, Wei Fei, PhD student Wang Lingbo, and Master's student Ruan Jingcheng, all gave attentive support and assistance.
This year's competition is entitled "Registration and Damage to Space Objects", which covers issues in the field of space law, such as the combination of the Cape Town Convention system and the Outer Space Treaty, the registration of individual satellites in small constellation groups, and the compensation for damage caused by space debris. After six months of preparation, members of the team have carefully sorted out and analyzed these issues, and they will continue to participate in the Asia-Pacific competition.
Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition is an annual, world-class moot court competition founded by the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) in 1992, which has become one of the highest and most influential moot court competitions in the world today. Under the strong guidance of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the elaborate organization of the Chinese Space Law Society, and the strong support and participation of all relevant universities, the China International Space Law Moot Court Competition has developed into a major foreign language moot court competition nationwide. In recent years, more and more schools and teams have participated in the competition, indicating that more and more universities and students are joining in the study of international space law.
Edited by Wang Yuting & Wu Liuqing