Lessons beyond diplomacy

The Model United Nations program for students, which was introduced in China in 1995, has grown steadily over the years. Xing Wen reports.

Shortly after the conclusion of the Beijing International Model United Nations 2018 program on May 13, the countdown for next year's BIMUN event began on the official website of the event.

This more or less echoed the words of Liu Jialing from the China Foreign Affairs University Model United Nations Association, the organizer of the program.

"Once we wind up this year, we gear up for next year," the 20-year-old says. "It's the flagship activity of our university."

MUN, which originated in the United States, made its Chinese debut at the CFAU campus in 1995, with delegations from four universities and some foreign students. But, thanks to efforts over the past 23 years, the CFAU has expanded the size of the conference.

This year, more than 600 delegates from more than 130 universities and 40 high schools from home and abroad were invited to join 12 committees at the four-day event.

Dati Surguladze, 16, a Georgian student from the international section of the Beijing No 55 High School, was one of those who got his first taste of the MUN.

"Now I understand Chinese culture better," says Dati who has lived in Beijing for a little over a year with his parents, both of whom are diplomats.

He says he took part in the event of his own volition, and now understands how the UN works.

But the broader significance of the MUN goes beyond just learning about diplomacy.