State-run broadcaster China Media Group released its picks for the top 10 news stories on relations across the Taiwan Strait in 2024.
The top 10 cross-Taiwan Strait news stories for 2024 are as follows.
1. General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping met with a Taiwan delegation led by Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, in Beijing on April 10. Xi stressed the sense of community and a firm pursuit of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
2. Chinese President Xi Jinping clarified China's position on the Taiwan question in his meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Lima. Xi pointed out the one-China principle and the three Chinese-U.S. Joint Communiques are the political basis for bilateral relations, which must be adhered to. Biden said he would continue to pursue the one-China policy, and would not support Taiwan separatism.
3. President Xi Jinping called for greater steps in exploring a new road of cross-Strait integration and development during his inspection in east China's Fujian Province.
4. The Chinese People's Liberation Army launched two-day Joint Sword-2024-A drills around Taiwan in May. The PLA said it was a stern warning against Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te's separatist speech on May 20.
5. The State Council Taiwan Affairs Office commented on the outcomes of Taiwan leadership and legislature elections on January 13, saying they reveal the Democratic Progressive Party cannot represent the mainstream public opinion on the island.
6. The PLA Eastern Theater Command launched Joint Sword-2024-B drills around Taiwan in October to test the joint operations capabilities of the theater command's troops.
7. China issued a set of guidelines on imposing criminal punishments for die-hard Taiwan separatists for conducting or inciting secession.
8. In June, the Chinese mainland ended preferential tariff rates on 134 Taiwan imports stipulated in the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement.
9. A delegation of faculty members and students from mainland universities visited Taiwan in November. They were warmly welcomed upon arrival.
10. The Republic of Nauru resumed diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level with the People's Republic of China, after severing the so-called diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
CMG unveils top 10 news stories in 2024 on relations across Taiwan Strait
Germany's conservative bloc Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) on Wednesday agreed on a coalition deal to form a new federal government after weeks of negotiation.
Following the coalition agreement, Friedrich Merz from CDU/CSU is expected to be elected chancellor next month.
Calling the agreement "a strong plan with which we can jointly move our country forward again," Merz said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon that it is also a clear signal that Germany is getting a government capable of acting and strong in action.
Weeks ahead of the agreement, the CDU/CSU and the SPD had succeeded in amending the Basic Law to loosen the "debt brake" limits on infrastructure and national defense investments.
The future government will reform and invest to keep Germany stable, make it more secure, and make it economically stronger again, and Europe too can rely on Germany, Merz said.
The new coalition government will seek to implement measures such as lowering the corporate income tax and reducing the electricity tax to the European minimum level to improve the competitiveness of the German economy, said Merz.
In addition, the new government will adopt a new course in migration policy, including measures on enhancing border controls, rejecting asylum seekers, and stepping up the efforts to deport illegal immigrants.
Immigration had become a key topic during Germany's federal election campaign earlier this year.
Germany is and remains a country of immigration, said Lars Klingbeil, co-leader of the SPD, adding that the country protects the rights of citizens with a migration background.
Klingbeil vowed to invest more in securing jobs, attracting talents and providing housing, as well as scrapping excessive bureaucracy to improve government efficiency.
On the U.S. tariff measures, Merz has called for a common European response, as well as efforts to restore Germany's competitiveness and create new jobs.
The key message to U.S. President Donald Trump is that "Germany is back on track," he said, noting that Germany will fulfill its obligations in terms of defense, and it is willing to strengthen its own competitiveness.
"That is not just Germany," Merz said, stressing that Germany will again be a very strong partner within the European Union.
German parties agree to form new gov't after weeks of negotiation
