High school students participate in a MUN conference held in the Huaibei Experimental High School in Anhui Province in 2011. Photo: CFP

Three instructors of a Chinese student delegation to the Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN) in Boston in late January have allegedly been expelled from the conference after they protested the listing of Taiwan as a "country" in this year's conference handbook.

One instructor, Deng Bingyu, writing on her renren.com page on February 2, said that they pointed out the "mistake," negotiated with organizers and requested a correction, but later were expelled for making the organizers "feel uncomfortable" and being deemed a "security threat."

Deng claimed that classifying Taiwan as a "country" infringes on China's sovereignty and offends Chinese delegates, but that regrettably, some people saw their acts as motivated by selfish, private interests.

The organizers did not respond to the case as of press time.

Deng pointed out in her post that many commercial and educational agencies are competing for Model United Nations (MUN) business. Acting as a part-time instructor for one agency, she stated that some individuals interpreted their protest as a commercial strategy.

And indeed, some of those participating in MUN in China point to increasing commercialization as a worrying trend in what is supposed to be primarily an educational activity.

A model organization

The MUN became popular in US universities in the 1950s alongside the establishment of the United Nations in 1945. Students play the role of delegates to gain insights into the workings of the UN and the dynamics of international relations, assuming the role of UN representatives and members of other international bodies and national cabinets. Delegates compete for "best delegate" awards during the competition.

The first MUN club in China, PKUMUN, was established by Peking University in March 2000 and quickly spread to other universities in China, according to a report on the official website of UN Association of China.

The MUN began to appear in Chinese high schools in 2005, when Peking University began to cooperate with the UN Association of the USA, holding the first national PKUNMUN conference for high school students. This activity gained popularity among Chinese teenagers over the next few years, the report said.

From 2008 to 2010, MUN conferences grew quickly, with Chinese college and high school students keen to participate in international conferences such as HMUN and the World MUN held by Harvard University.

Increasing commercialization

Commercial agencies have helped promote the development of MUN in China by working together with high schools, especially those lacking professional faculty advisors or connections with overseas MUN committees. 

Beijing-based Weland Education Company, founded in 2005 by MUN participants at Peking University, provides training programs for students who are interested in attending MUN conferences and helping students attend MUN conferences abroad, including HMUN and Chicago MUN.

According to the company's website, it sent delegates to the Boston MUN conference in 2006, and it claimed that Chinese delegates won their first award in 2008.

Other agencies like Global Leader Education, Panorama MUN Educational Platform and Alpha Partners Education have also jumped into an increasingly crowded field.

International MUN conferences are now not only for well prepared students from elite high schools, with commercial agencies offering exciting opportunities to travel to the US to debate global issues to students willing to pay the price.

A Weland employee said that they cooperate with many high schools in China, with students able to attend HMUN by paying around 35,000 yuan ($5,596), with no other strings attached.

One graduate student from Beijing Institute of Technology surnamed Zuo who attended Harvard National MUN 2011 without using agencies said that she only spent around 10,000 yuan for a 12-day trip.

"We have acquired over 200 of 300 seats in the conference for Chinese students," said the Weland employee, adding that they guaranteed students who have registered could attend the event, providing each of them with professional training.

"Attending international MUN conferences can strengthen your resume as this activity is held in high esteem by American universities. Also, a certificate from the MUN organization committee can help you quickly get a [US] visa," said an employee at Global Leader Education.

The emergence of commercial agencies has provided new channels for the development of China's MUN conferences, but the UN Association of China said that the increasing emphasis on profit may negatively impact the activity's development.

"I do not think that attending an international MUN conference would truly help students apply for studying abroad and also question whether a certificate from the MUN committee would help in getting a [US] visa," Chu Zhaohui, a research fellow from the National Institute of Education Sciences, told the Global Times.

Education or business

Some MUN participants told the Global Times that seats are effectively for sale, making the activity a game for the rich, and locking out passionate but poor students. Some students see attending MUN conferences as a stepping stone to prestigious universities or a platform for expanding their social network. 

A MUN enthusiast at a high school in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province said on condition of anonymity that some agencies give high school MUN club advisors kickbacks to defeat their rivals. They also encourage advisors to choose more elite students, which benefits the company in establishing relations with more well known universities, allowing them to profit from the activity and raise brand awareness. "It's an open secret," said the student.

Chu said that selling seats at a high price has turned an academic activity into a commercial one, raising the threshold for participating in MUN, adding that this also tarnished the purity of the MUN brand.

Some wealthy parents are willing to buy the opportunity for their children, promoting the commercialization of MUN in China, said Chu.

However, others claimed that, for students who are enthusiastic about politics and aspire to get involved in MUN, these agencies open a new window.

"Over 40 students, including me, each spent 36,000 yuan to attend the HMUN in 2014 under the guidance of an agency," said a high school student surnamed Liu from Harbin No. 3 High School. Liu said that the experience exercised his communication skills, independent thinking and willingness to speak in public. 

Liu also admitted that some students applied solely for the chance to travel to the US, and were accepted despite poor English skills.
Newspaper headline: Damaged model