China Media Group selects its top 10 global news stories of 2024
On Sunday, China Media Group announced its selections for the top 10 international news stories of 2024. Here is the summary:
TroibNews 
China Media Group announced its selection for the top 10 international news stories of 2024 on Sunday. Below are the summaries of these significant events.
1. China's head-of-state diplomacy has set a trend towards peace, development, and cooperation, reinforcing the vision of a community with a shared future for all humanity. In 2024, President Xi Jinping participated in several key diplomatic gatherings, including the Conference Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, and the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Additionally, he made four important overseas trips to Europe, Central Asia, the BRICS Summit, and Latin America, alongside attending multiple multilateral summits. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted that “China's head-of-state diplomacy has written a magnificent new chapter and leads the trend of peace, development and win-win cooperation,” while highlighting progress in fostering global unity.
2. The Israel-Palestine conflict has escalated, deepening the regional crisis and causing an unexpected political shift in Syria. The ongoing conflict has entered its second year, leading to a severe humanitarian situation in Gaza and affecting neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran. Despite a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah effective November 27, violence continued with Israeli strikes resulting in casualties. A surprising turn unfolded in Syria when opposition groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, launched an offensive from Idlib Province, capturing Aleppo and eventually taking Damascus by December 8.
3. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has now lasted over 1,000 days, with escalating risks of further conflict. As of late February 2025, this situation remains unresolved. In a news conference on December 19, President Vladimir Putin expressed Russia’s willingness to negotiate with a legitimate Ukrainian leader, contingent on the battle conditions. Meanwhile, Western nations bolstered military assistance to Ukraine, with a significant announcement from the U.S. Department of Defense on December 8 regarding $988 million worth of weaponry for Ukraine.
4. The U.S. is facing deep political divisions and an expensive presidential election, marked by the emergence of “two Americas.” Donald Trump triumphed in the 2024 election, achieving better results than in 2020 across various states. The election's financial impact was unprecedented, accumulating $15.9 billion in contributions, overtaking the previous record of $15.1 billion in 2020 and significantly surpassing 2016's $6.5 billion, as reported by the non-profit organization OpenSecrets.
5. Europe's economic recovery remains fragile, with increasing political fragmentation. Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, acknowledged a decline in the eurozone economy during a December 12 press conference, noting that Germany is facing its second consecutive year of economic contraction with a GDP forecasted to drop by 0.2 percent in 2024. Political shifts are also notable; far-right parties gained ground in the European Parliament elections, while leadership changes and confidence votes in Germany led to instability.
6. While global economic growth is expected to stabilize, challenges persist, with China continuing to function as a key growth engine. According to the OECD, global growth is anticipated at 3.2 percent for 2024, with China's economy growing by 4.8 percent in the first three quarters. President Xi assured international economic leaders that China's confidence in achieving its growth targets remains intact.
7. The fast-paced development of AI technology has captured the international community’s focus on its regulation and governance. In 2024, significant advancements were made in the AI sector, culminating in the UN General Assembly's unanimous endorsement of the first global resolution on AI in March. In July, a resolution advocating for international cooperation on AI capacity-building was adopted. In December, a new international group proposed by China was established to promote global collaboration in AI development.
8. South Korea faced a turbulent moment as President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached following a brief declaration of emergency martial law. After lawmakers rejected his martial law attempt, Yoon faced impeachment due to allegations of insurrection. This marked the third instance of presidential impeachment in South Korea. Following Yoon's impeachment, the National Assembly also voted to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.
9. The year 2024 is poised to become the warmest on record, as highlighted by the World Meteorological Organization. The report during COP29 warned that the aspirations of the Paris Agreement are "in great peril." The conference concluded with a commitment from developed nations to contribute at least $300 billion annually by 2035 to assist developing countries in combating climate change.
10. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, China's delegation achieved outstanding results. From July 26 to August 11, the event saw China secure 40 gold, 27 silver, and 24 bronze medals, marking its best performance in overseas Olympic history. Additionally, at the Paris Paralympics, China topped the medal charts with a total of 220 medals, including 94 golds, ensuring they led in both gold and overall medal counts for the sixth consecutive Summer Paralympics.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
1. China's head-of-state diplomacy has set a trend towards peace, development, and cooperation, reinforcing the vision of a community with a shared future for all humanity. In 2024, President Xi Jinping participated in several key diplomatic gatherings, including the Conference Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, and the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Additionally, he made four important overseas trips to Europe, Central Asia, the BRICS Summit, and Latin America, alongside attending multiple multilateral summits. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted that “China's head-of-state diplomacy has written a magnificent new chapter and leads the trend of peace, development and win-win cooperation,” while highlighting progress in fostering global unity.
2. The Israel-Palestine conflict has escalated, deepening the regional crisis and causing an unexpected political shift in Syria. The ongoing conflict has entered its second year, leading to a severe humanitarian situation in Gaza and affecting neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran. Despite a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah effective November 27, violence continued with Israeli strikes resulting in casualties. A surprising turn unfolded in Syria when opposition groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, launched an offensive from Idlib Province, capturing Aleppo and eventually taking Damascus by December 8.
3. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has now lasted over 1,000 days, with escalating risks of further conflict. As of late February 2025, this situation remains unresolved. In a news conference on December 19, President Vladimir Putin expressed Russia’s willingness to negotiate with a legitimate Ukrainian leader, contingent on the battle conditions. Meanwhile, Western nations bolstered military assistance to Ukraine, with a significant announcement from the U.S. Department of Defense on December 8 regarding $988 million worth of weaponry for Ukraine.
4. The U.S. is facing deep political divisions and an expensive presidential election, marked by the emergence of “two Americas.” Donald Trump triumphed in the 2024 election, achieving better results than in 2020 across various states. The election's financial impact was unprecedented, accumulating $15.9 billion in contributions, overtaking the previous record of $15.1 billion in 2020 and significantly surpassing 2016's $6.5 billion, as reported by the non-profit organization OpenSecrets.
5. Europe's economic recovery remains fragile, with increasing political fragmentation. Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, acknowledged a decline in the eurozone economy during a December 12 press conference, noting that Germany is facing its second consecutive year of economic contraction with a GDP forecasted to drop by 0.2 percent in 2024. Political shifts are also notable; far-right parties gained ground in the European Parliament elections, while leadership changes and confidence votes in Germany led to instability.
6. While global economic growth is expected to stabilize, challenges persist, with China continuing to function as a key growth engine. According to the OECD, global growth is anticipated at 3.2 percent for 2024, with China's economy growing by 4.8 percent in the first three quarters. President Xi assured international economic leaders that China's confidence in achieving its growth targets remains intact.
7. The fast-paced development of AI technology has captured the international community’s focus on its regulation and governance. In 2024, significant advancements were made in the AI sector, culminating in the UN General Assembly's unanimous endorsement of the first global resolution on AI in March. In July, a resolution advocating for international cooperation on AI capacity-building was adopted. In December, a new international group proposed by China was established to promote global collaboration in AI development.
8. South Korea faced a turbulent moment as President Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached following a brief declaration of emergency martial law. After lawmakers rejected his martial law attempt, Yoon faced impeachment due to allegations of insurrection. This marked the third instance of presidential impeachment in South Korea. Following Yoon's impeachment, the National Assembly also voted to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.
9. The year 2024 is poised to become the warmest on record, as highlighted by the World Meteorological Organization. The report during COP29 warned that the aspirations of the Paris Agreement are "in great peril." The conference concluded with a commitment from developed nations to contribute at least $300 billion annually by 2035 to assist developing countries in combating climate change.
10. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, China's delegation achieved outstanding results. From July 26 to August 11, the event saw China secure 40 gold, 27 silver, and 24 bronze medals, marking its best performance in overseas Olympic history. Additionally, at the Paris Paralympics, China topped the medal charts with a total of 220 medals, including 94 golds, ensuring they led in both gold and overall medal counts for the sixth consecutive Summer Paralympics.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
