China Media Group picks its top 10 world news stories of 2024

China Media Group on Sunday unveiled its picks for the top 10 international news stories of 2024.

Below are the bulletins for these events.

1. China's head-of-state diplomacy has led the trend of the times for peace, development and win-win cooperation, promoting building a community with a shared future for mankind.

In 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended three home-ground diplomatic events – 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 – made four important overseas visits – to Europe, to Central Asia, for the BRICS Summit and to Latin America – and attended several multilateral summits. 

China's head-of-state diplomacy has written a magnificent new chapter and leads the trend of peace, development and win-win cooperation, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, adding that new breakthroughs have been made in building a community with a shared future for humanity and promoting global solidarity.

2. The spillover of the Israel-Palestine conflict intensifies regional crisis, and a surprise shift in Syria.

The Israel-Palestine conflict entered a second year, leaving Gaza stranded in a dire humanitarian crisis and creating ripple effects across Lebanon, Yemen and Iran. 

Despite a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, effective from November 27 and aimed at ending a conflict that have reportedly claimed more than 4,000 lives in Lebanon, Israeli forces have continued their strikes, causing further casualties.

At the end of 2024, an unexpected political shift happened in Syria. On November 27, following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, opposition groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, launched an offensive from Syria's northwest Idlib Province.

Within days, they captured Syria's largest city, Aleppo, and quickly moved south, eventually taking Damascus on December 8.

3. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has continued for over 1,000 days and there is a rising risk of conflict escalation.

The future remains uncertain for the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, which will enter its third year in late February 2025. 

During his annual news conference on December 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is ready to negotiate with any legitimate leader in Ukraine while considering the current situation on the ground.

In the year, the Western countries continued providing military support to Ukraine. On December 8, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that it will provide weapons worth $988 million to Ukraine over a relatively longer term to enhance its military capabilities amid the conflict with Russia.

4. A politically polarized U.S. and costly presidential election presents a showdown between 'two Americas.'

Donald Trump won the presidential election in 2024, improving upon his 2020 performance in both red and blue states. 

The 2024 U.S. election was also thought to be the most expensive in history, with total contributions reaching $15.9 billion, which surpassed the $15.1 billion spent in 2020 and more than doubled 2016's $6.5 billion, according to non-profit organisation OpenSecrets.

5. The economic recovery in Europe remains weak, with the political landscape more fragmented. 

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde admitted at a press conference on December 12 that the eurozone economy is "losing momentum." 

Germany, once seen as the economic powerhouse of Europe, is grappling with a second consecutive year of economic contraction, raising concerns about its future growth prospects. The German government's latest forecast predicts a 0.2-percent decline in GDP for 2024, following a similar downturn in 2023, making it the second consecutive year of recession.

In 2024, the fragmentation of the European political landscape is becoming even more obvious. In the European Parliament elections, far-right parties gained more seats. France has changed its prime minister three times in the year. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a parliamentary confidence vote in mid-December, paving the way for snap elections in February intended to lead Germany out of a political crisis triggered by the collapse of his coalition.

6. Global economic growth has stabilized, but challenges remain. China will continue to play its role as an important engine of world economic growth.

The global economy is projected to grow by 3.2 percent in 2024 and 3.3 percent in both 2025 and 2026, according to the latest economic outlook released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on December 4. 

While global growth shows signs of resilience, the report highlights significant regional disparities and ongoing challenges.

China's economy grew by 4.8 percent in the first three quarters of 2024. When meeting with heads of major international economic organizations in December, Xi said China has full confidence in achieving this year's economic growth target and will continue to play its role as the biggest engine of world economic growth.

7. AI technology is rapidly developing, and the international community is paying attention to its governance and supervision.

In 2024, development of the global artificial intelligence (AI) industry accelerated, with innovative breakthroughs achieved in a number of technological fields and wide application in a number of industries.

In March, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the first global resolution on AI, encouraging countries to safeguard human rights, protect personal data and monitor AI for risks. 

In July, the 78th session of the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution, proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 140 countries, on strengthening international cooperation in the capacity building of AI.

The resolution on "Enhancing International Cooperation on Capacity-building of Artificial Intelligence" emphasizes that the development of AI should adhere to "the principles of being human-centered," promote beneficial intelligence and benefit humanity.

In December, a new international group proposed by China was launched at the United Nations to promote global cooperation in building AI capacity.

8. After the six-hour emergency martial law chaos in South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol became the country's third president to be impeached.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared "emergency" martial law late on December 3 in a surprise televised address, and abandoned the attempt hours later after lawmakers defied security forces to vote against his declaration and thousands of protesters took to the streets.

On December 14, South Korea's National Assembly passed a motion to impeach Yoon on allegations of insurrection amid the ongoing fallout from a recent failed attempt to impose martial law in the country. This is the third time a South Korean president has faced impeachment. 

On December 27, South Korea's National Assembly voted to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo who had been serving as acting president following Yoon's impeachment.

9. 2024 is on track to be the warmest year on record. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change reached a consensus on goals, including the New Collective Quantified Goal for climate finance.

2024 is on track to be the warmest year on record after an extended streak of exceptionally high monthly global mean temperatures, according to a report from the World Meteorological Organization.

The report, released during the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP29, noted that the ambitions of the Paris Agreement are "in great peril."

COP29 closed on November 24 with a deal adopted whereby developed countries will inject at least $300 billion annually by 2035 into the fight against climate change, aimed at helping developing nations cope with rising seas and extreme weather.

10. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, China's delegation achieved its best overseas performance.

From July 26 to August 11, 2024, the 33rd Summer Olympic Games was held in Paris, France.

The Chinese delegation collected 40 gold, 27 silver and 24 bronze medals at Paris 2024, marking China's best result at an overseas Olympics.

At the Paris Paralympics, China won a total of 220 medals – 94 golds, 76 silvers and 50 bronzes. This dominant display ensured China topped both the gold and overall medal tables for the sixth consecutive Summer Paralympics.