Students from the prestigious Beijing University and the Shanghai-based Fudan University will go to Washington DC for an international law contest to represent China at the end of March.

The two universities got the opportunity after coming first and second in the fourth national round of the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition that was held from Tuesday to Thursday at the Law School of the People's University of China, one of the top universities in the country.

Students of law from 24 leading Chinese universities, including the People's University, Beijing University and Fudan University, held 32 debates in English over the last three days.

According to the rules of the competition, the champion and runner-up teams will participate in the international rounds of the final competition in Washington DC a month later, Xiong Bingwan, a staff with the Law School of the People's University, told Xinhua.

Established in 1959, the annual Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is co-sponsored by the International Law Students Association (ILSA) and the American Society of International Law (ASIL).

To date, more than 700 law schools from over 90 countries and regions have taken part in this competition.

In February 2003, the Law School of the People's University and the ILSA jointly held the first national round of the Jessup competition, attracting competitors from 10 prestigious Chinese universities.

(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2006)