IBSS Successfully Hosts BRI Negotiation Simulation Competition

• Negotiation strategy formulation and case analysis
  • (Trainers: Dr Soljee Lee, Dr Shilei Liu, and Mr David Dufour)
• Belbin team role training and advanced negotiation skills
  • (Instructors: Yixin Zhang and Yidan Liu, IBSS transferable skills specialists)

Trainers and academic coaches

Ms Yixin Zhang, Transferable Skills Training Specialist.

Ms Yidan liu, Transferable Skills Training Specialist.

Dr Shilei Liu, Teaching Fellow.

Mr David Dufour, Associate Professor of Practice.

Dr Soljee Lee, Assistant Professor.

Following the intensive training, participants quickly applied their knowledge in action, demonstrating outstanding professionalism and teamwork.

Each team was composed of students from different grades, disciplines, and cultural backgrounds. Beyond representing their stakeholder interests, students had to quickly adapt to each other’s communication styles and thought processes, bridging differences and building strong consensus across cultures.

Cross-disciplinary clashes, real-world impact

On competition day, intellectual exchanges were intense at the negotiation tables. Participants deftly applied knowledge from economics, law, diplomacy, and other fields, precisely managing negotiation dynamics and displaying both deep expertise and confident communication.

The competition not only sharpened students’ global perspectives and practical skills but also built new bridges for intercultural understanding and collaboration under the BRI framework.

Dr Shilei Liu, one of the competition’s academic advisors, remarked:

“As the global business legal environment grows increasingly complex, it is vital to cultivate versatile talent with international vision, legal acumen, and intercultural communication skills. Through this negotiation simulation, students deepened their understanding of international commercial law while also enhancing their ability to resolve cross-border disputes and foster cooperation.”

Participants echoed this sentiment.

“In just a few weeks, we went from strangers to a cohesive team. We not only honed our negotiation skills but also expanded our social circles,” one student shared with a smile.

An international student majoring in International Relations, reflected: “Today was a great opportunity to practice and apply all the lessons learned from my past 2 years of studying International Relations here in this wonderful country. I am truly privileged to have amazing fellow SAARC teammates and for their dedication and effort today and these last few weeks. It has also been a pleasure to engage with all the other delegates, whose spirit of cooperation has embodied the very purpose of this event: promoting global collaboration, and peaceful and inclusive development.”

Top 8 emerge, ready to represent XJTLU on the national stage

After fierce competition, eight outstanding students won team and individual awards and will represent Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University at the national BRI Negotiation Simulation Competition this Saturday at East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai. There, they will compete alongside top delegates from universities across China.

The award-winning students are:

Yutong Jiang, Year 2 BA International Business with a Language

Jiawen Li, Year 1 MSc Project Management

Metta Puspita Hormen, Year 3 BA Marketing

Waisaka Puspajayani, Year 4 BA Business Administration

Jiayi Zhao, Year 3 BA International Business with a Language

Tsai-Chen Lin, Year 3 BA International Relations

Shaun Stephen Quinn, IBSS exchange student

Li Jann Orwell Pusta Sablay, Year 3 BA International Relations

We wish all participants the very best in their upcoming competition!

As the organiser, IBSS remains committed to providing high-quality, international practice platforms for young talents, nurturing globally competent, interdisciplinary leaders of the future.