At 7:00 p.m. on April 23, 2026, the Grand Final of the 17th Wangyang Cup Law Debate Competition and Award Ceremony of the 17th Guanying Cup Legal Essay Contest was held in Lecture Hall N214, Library Building Block N, Macau University of Science and Technology. The event was hosted by the Faculty of Law, co-organized by the Student Union of the Faculty of Law, and sponsored by the Macau University of Science and Technology Foundation.
As a signature regular academic event of the Faculty of Law, the Wangyang Cup Law Debate Competition aims to foster students’ skills in legal oral advocacy and cultivate their team spirit. Launched in March 2026, the competition lasted for nearly two months. After intense preliminary and semi-final rounds, four teams advanced to the grand final.
The final consisted of two matches: the third-place playoff and the championship final. The panel of judges included Prosecutor LEONG Man Ieng from the Public Prosecutions Office of the Macao SAR, Deputy Director Lio Chi Chong of the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau of the Macao SAR, Senior Partner Chang San Chi from Lektou, Director Liu Chengkun of the Institute for Sustainable Development at MUST, and Assistant Dean Yi Zai Cheng of the MUST Faculty of Law.
In the championship final, the affirmative team consisting of Wang Qiuzhi, Li Yufu, Shi Yutong and Hu Luyao competed against the negative team of Liu Xinyi, Zhu Muhan, Li Xintian, Zhao Jialiang and Huang Chenjiayue. Both sides delivered a splendid debate on the motion: "Can artificial intelligence replace judges in judicial adjudication?" In the third-place playoff, the affirmative team with Chen Xiaoyu, Xu Jianghua, Li Maoyuan and Jiao Chenglin went head-to-head with the negative team of Zhou Zhiyuan, Guo Runmeng, Zhang Shutong and Li Yike, debating the topic: "Should Macau lower the age of criminal responsibility?"
The judges spoke highly of the contestants’ performance. They noted that the participants demonstrated solid debating techniques, rigorous legal logical thinking, as well as profound professional knowledge and academic literacy, fully showcasing the calibre and demeanour of students from the Faculty of Law. Meanwhile, the judges offered valuable suggestions, encouraging all participants to keep honing their debating skills and strive for greater achievements in future competitions.
Insightful Comments by Guest Judges
Award Presentation for the 17th Wangyang Cup Law Debate Competition
The award ceremony for the 17th Guanying Cup Legal Essay Contest was held on the same evening. As another flagship regular academic activity of the Faculty of Law, the Guanying Cup is designed to enhance students’ capacity for academic legal writing. The 2026 Contest opened for submissions in January, receiving a total of 19 essays from undergraduate and postgraduate students. The Faculty set up a review panel, conducting two rounds of rigorous evaluation. All entries were also screened for plagiarism.
After deliberate deliberation by the review committee, five students were awarded honors in total. Among undergraduate entries, Xi Yuntao won the Best Undergraduate Essay Award for his work Application of the Principle of Legitimate Trial Following Unlawful Arrest in International Criminal Law; Wu Xia was conferred the Outstanding Undergraduate Essay Award for Reconstructing China’s Civil Compensation Mechanism for Insider Trading — From the Perspective of Public-Private Law Theory and Comparative Law. Among postgraduate entries, Lei Leong Wai claimed the Best Postgraduate Essay Award with Community of Acquired Property: The Neglected Alternative Matrimonial Property Regime in Macau;
Luo Biao and Pang Siyuan received the Outstanding Postgraduate Essay Award respectively for On Administrative Allocation of Public Data Licensed Operation and Legal Issues Concerning Licensing Hierarchies in Standard Essential Patents Across Disciplines respectively.
Award Presentation for the 17th Guanying Cup Legal Essay Contest
Award-winning students took a group photo with presenting guests and judges.
With this, the 17th Wangyang Cup Law Debate Competition and Award Ceremony of the 17th Guanying Cup Legal Essay Contest drew a perfect close.
