Overview The Global College Student Forum provides a platform for students around the world to debate important economic and political issues. The debates follow a standard format and allow students to share viewpoints on topics such as the revaluation of the yuan, outsourcing, protectionism, economic regulations, local business practices, and many others. The forums open communication lines and help students to better appreciate alternative opinions and views. Through education and diplomacy, students will be better able to create mutually beneficial solutions to problems facing their nations. These forums utilize the Financial Center’s state-of-the-art trading floor. Students debate via video-conferencing and can use the Center’s resources for research purposes. Perspective “College students from China and the US are thousand miles away, but they debate face-to-face.” -Chinese reporter from China’s Hangzhou Daily. “I benefited a lot from this debate program. When debating with American students face-to-face, you must view things from a global angle." - Chinese student from the Zhejiang University of Technology Description The Global Forum is a debate held between WPU students and students from the Zhejiang University of Technology via video-conference. The Forum promotes awareness and understanding of today’s global economic issues, and improves the efficiency of learning economics. The Forum achieves these goals through debates among teams of college students from different countries. Debating among young people from different countries with different backgrounds and economic situations helps participants better understand different views, form a consensus, and identify a solution. The Forum also promotes critical thinking and teamwork skills as student teams must delegate responsibility, research, synthesize and communicate their findings to each other, their competition and the judges. Topics of the Forum The Forum will organize debates on major international economic issues included but not limited to: globalization, outsourcing, foreign investment, exchange rates, trade and tariffs, inflation and interest rates, employment, technological changes, and government regulations. Focus Areas Debate topics are changed each year to reflect contemporary issues. Past debates have been on: Who benefits more from outsourcing? The revaluation of the yuan Should China bail out the U.S.? Trade Protectionism Chinese RMB as a Reserve Currency Will China Cause the Next Global Crisis?
