On October 17th, the fifth "Pioneer Cup" English Debate Competition, one of the series events of Shenzhen MSU-BIT University's fourth Knowledge Science and Culture Festival, was successfully held at the university library.
As an annual flagship academic event of the Department of Economics, the "Pioneer Cup" English Debate Competition has now thrived for five years. The competition not only provides students with a platform to showcase their comprehensive English proficiency but also serves as a core arena for honing logical reasoning skills, fostering interdisciplinary knowledge integration, and cultivating teamwork spirit. Since its inception, the event has consistently ignited enthusiasm among faculty and students, earning widespread acclaim and positive feedback.
This year's debate centered on the theme "AI Development and International Trade Cooperation," targeting all freshmen majoring in International Economics and Trade as well as Financial Technology. A total of 40 teams enthusiastically registered for the competition. After a month of intense preliminary and semifinal rounds, two teams emerged victorious to compete in the final showdown.
During the final, the affirmative and negative teams engaged in a fierce clash over the motion: "Artificial intelligence has created unprecedented opportunities/imposed insurmountable barriers for SMEs participating in international trade." The affirmative side emphasized that AI—through functions like intelligent customer service, big data product selection, and supply chain optimization—significantly lowers the entry barriers and operational costs for SMEs in global trade, enabling them to access international markets at reduced expenses and seize a historic opportunity for "overtaking on the curve." The negative side, however, sharply countered that the high costs of AI technology development, deployment, and maintenance could overwhelm resource-limited SMEs, while data barriers and algorithmic biases might further disadvantage them in competition, ultimately widening a new digital divide. Throughout the debate, both teams advanced their arguments with rigorous logic, detailed industry case studies, and fluent English delivery, presenting judges and audiences with a high-level intellectual feast while demonstrating profound reflections on cutting-edge economic issues.
After fierce competition, the judging panel ultimately selected three winning teams—champion, first runner-up, and second runner-up—with a total of 12 students receiving awards. Among them, the team composed of Zeng Yongran, Huang Yachao, Wang Hangzhi, and Li Jiapei from Class 3 of International Trade, Class of 2025, stood out with their outstanding performance and claimed the championship of this year's competition. Zhang Yang, Director of the Student Affairs Office; Mao Yufeng, Director of the International Academic Exchange and Cooperation Department; Professor Meng Fanchen, Chinese Director of the Economics Department; and Russian Director Nikitushkina Irina jointly presented awards to the winning teams.
Five years of refinement have forged a prestigious event; the clash of ideas showcases brilliance in debate. The successful hosting of the "Pioneer Cup" English Debate Competition fully demonstrated the outstanding critical thinking skills and global perspective of students at Shenzhen MSU-BIT University. The Economics Department will take this as a new starting point, upholding the pioneering spirit to build a more robust platform for growth. It aims to cultivate exceptional talents capable of navigating the complexities of the world, empowering them to ride the waves of globalization and collectively pioneer a future brimming with infinite possibilities.
