Beijing, June 2026 — Two students from Shantou University have advanced to the national top 16 at the 28th "FLTRP·GUOCAI Cup" National College English Debate Competition, one of China's most authoritative collegiate English contests, following a sweep of first-prize honours by the university's four-member team.

Coached by English Language Centre (ELC) instructor Collin Tham, the team — drawn from four different disciplines including English, Law, Biotechnology, and Chinese Literature — competed against 468 university teams nationwide before all four members broke into the national top 32. Bai Yixing and Mai Zhuoxuan then continued to the offline elimination rounds in Beijing, where they reached the top 16.

"English is not a subject to be studied — it is a tool for thinking," said Tham, who holds over a decade of debate coaching experience. His training programme averaged three mock debates per week, with individualised feedback and targeted preparation on topics ranging from technology ethics to public policy.

The competition, held May 29 to June 8 in Beijing, adopted the British Parliamentary debate format and has been listed as a Class A national discipline competition by China's Ministry of Education.

The ELC says the result reflects its broader commitment to cross-disciplinary English education, integrating language proficiency, critical thinking, and cross-cultural communication into a single training model open to students across all faculties.