Mainland Chinese spectators, participants ‘walk out’, names redacted as topic on Hong Kong democracy in world’s largest university debate causes stir
- World Universities Debating Championships in Bangkok cancels live stream midway over the motion ‘This House, as China, would grant universal suffrage to Hong Kong citizens’
- Winning team from University of Oxford requests for names to be redacted from tournament records
A topic on Hong Kong democracy in the finals of the world’s largest international university debating tournament has caused a stir, after mainland Chinese spectators were said to have walked out and the winning team asked for their names to be removed from the records.
The World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC) was held on January 3 in Bangkok. Organisers cancelled a live stream of the event midway.
About 30 mainland Chinese students and teachers who were in the audience left the venue after the motion “This House, as China, would grant universal suffrage to Hong Kong citizens” was announced, according to sources.
A total of 34 mainland students from 11 universities were among about 1,000 debaters from more than 50 countries competing in the tournament.
The winning team from the University of Oxford, comprising Singaporean Lee Chin Wee and Canadian Jason Xiao, also in rare fashion redacted their names from official records after the competition. They had argued against the motion.
They were among participants who requested not to have their speeches in the tournament live-streamed.