As the calendar pages turn and 2024 draws to a close, it's a natural moment to pause and reflect on the events that have shaped the year, particularly within China. Xinhua's recent look back offers a fascinating glimpse into the nation's trajectory, highlighting a blend of internal governance, technological ambition, and international engagement.
One of the most significant internal developments was the Communist Party of China's (CPC) extensive discipline education campaign, launched in April and running through July. This initiative, the first of its kind to focus specifically on discipline, aimed to reinforce strict self-governance within the Party. By delving into newly revised regulations, the campaign sought to instill a deeper understanding and adherence to discipline among members and officials, ultimately fostering a stronger impetus for advancing Chinese modernization.
Beyond governance, 2024 was a year of remarkable strides in high-tech fields. The space program, for instance, continued its impressive run with the launches of the Shenzhou-18 and Shenzhou-19 manned missions. The latter even set a new record for the longest single spacewalk by Chinese astronauts. The Chang'e-6 mission achieved a historic feat in June, successfully returning samples from the far side of the moon for the first time ever. On Earth, China's 41st Antarctic expedition set sail to bolster infrastructure for the Qinling Station, underscoring a commitment to international research and cooperation. And closer to home, the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) continued its groundbreaking work, identifying over a thousand new pulsars – a number that surpasses the combined discoveries of all foreign telescopes.
On the international stage, China's stance on cross-strait relations remained firm. In response to perceived provocations and attempts to pursue "Taiwan independence," the mainland conducted significant military drills, codenamed Joint Sword-2024A and 2024B, around the island of Taiwan. These exercises served as a clear message, signaling intolerance for separatism and warning against external interference.
Domestically, a pivotal moment arrived with the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee in July. This key policy meeting adopted a resolution focused on deepening comprehensive reform to advance Chinese modernization. The resolution not only clarified the goal of achieving socialist modernization by 2035 but also laid out a roadmap for the next five years, proposing over 300 major reform initiatives.
Head-of-state diplomacy also played a crucial role in shaping China's global interactions. President Xi Jinping engaged in extensive diplomatic activities, attending major events like the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and participating in numerous overseas visits and multilateral summits. This engagement aimed to foster a favorable external environment for Chinese modernization and advance high-standard opening-up. Initiatives like the Belt and Road cooperation saw continued progress, with events like the China International Import Expo and the China International Supply Chain Expo highlighting this commitment. China's active promotion of the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative further demonstrated its dedication to contributing solutions to global challenges and building a community with a shared future for humanity.
While the reference material provided a glimpse into these key areas, it's clear that 2024 was a year of multifaceted progress and strategic positioning for China, marked by both internal consolidation and outward-looking engagement.
