Foreign news

Top 10 China news stories selected by China Media Group in 2020

Published

6 years ago

December 29, 2020

Editor’s note: The COVID-19 pandemic has made 2020 a year many will never forget. As the year draws to a close, China Media Group (CMG) takes a look back at China’s biggest news stories of the year. During 2020, China not only fought the pandemic and eliminated absolute poverty, but it also committed to further open up its economy while continuing its growth momentum. Here are CMG’s top 10 China news stories of 2020

Concerted efforts to beat COVID-19

The world still suffers from the global pandemic, with more than 80 million confirmed cases and more than 1.7 million deaths worldwide as of December 28.

After the virus was first reported in central China’s Wuhan City, a 76-day lockdown was imposed from January 23 to April 8. Meanwhile, China mobilized the whole nation’s manpower and resources to contain the outbreak in the city.

So far, China has established a regular epidemic prevention and control system and made vaccines available.

A new future with the 14th Five-Year Plan and the blueprint for 2035

Eliminating absolute poverty by the end of 2020

After 66 impoverished counties in southwest China’s Guizhou Province were declared to have eliminated absolute poverty on November 23, China has achieved the feat of removing all 832 counties previously listed as impoverished from the poverty list.

Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed the remarkable progress in poverty alleviation work as China has lifted a total of nearly 100 million people out of poverty at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

In the next five years, efforts will be made to consolidate achievements in the fight against poverty and fully promote the strategy of rural vitalization, according to the Communist Party of China Central Committee’s proposed major social and economic development targets for the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

The proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Social and Economic Development (2021-2025) and Long-Range Objectives for 2035 were adopted during the fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in Beijing on October 29, 2020.

This is the first time that China has set long-term objectives for the country to achieve socialist modernization by 2035.

The only economy realizing a positive growth in the world in 2020

China continues to be the only economy in the world to show positive growth in 2020 as its GDP is predicted to expand 1.9 percent in 2020, according to the latest economic outlook released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on October 13.

The output in both advanced economies and emerging and developing economies this year are forecast to remain below 2019 levels even next year, except for China, according to the report.

A new economic pattern in China known as “dual circulation” – domestic and international, promoting each other, with domestic circulation as the main body, helps maintain quality development of China’s economy.

Ready to embrace a higher level of opening up

The year 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and the 30th anniversary of the Shanghai Pudong New Area. Thanks to the opening-up policy, Shenzhen SEZ has grown from a town to an international metropolitan with its economic output ranking fifth in Asian cities, and Shanghai Pudong New Area has become one of the world’s most active financial trading areas.

The third China International Import Expo concluded on November 10 with tentative deals worth $72.62 billion, up 2.1 percent from the last expo.

The long-awaited Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), covering nearly a third of the global population and about 30 percent of global GDP, was signed by its 15 members, including China and Japan, in Hanoi, November 15.

The first Civil Code since October 1, 1949

The National People’s Congress passed China’s first draft Civil Code on May 28.

The draft code consists of seven parts and 1,260 articles, including general provisions and sections on property, contracts, personality rights, marriage, and family, as well as inheritance and torts liability.

According to official data, a total of 1.02 million pieces of advice from around 425,000 people have been solicited during the compilation process.

The Civil Code will take effect on January 1, 2021.

Overcoming the most severe flooding since 1998

More than 74 million people in 28 provinces in China have suffered a serious flooding disaster during this year’s flooding season.

This is the most serious one since the severe flooding in 1998.

President Xi has called for all-out efforts in rescue and relief operations in flooded areas across the country and stressed that ensuring people’s lives and safety is a top priority.

The 70th anniversary of China’s participation in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea

China held a meeting on October 23 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) army entering the DPRK in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.

President Xi hailed the historic significance of War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, saying it defied the invasion and expansion of imperialism and safeguarded the security of New China.

The war also safeguarded the peaceful lives of the Chinese people, stabilized the Korean Peninsula situation, and upheld peace in Asia and the world, Xi said.

Major scientific and technological breakthroughs, including first Mars exploration

China has made great achievements in scientific and technological areas, including manned space flight, moon exploration, supercomputer, and quantum communication.

On May 5, China launched its newly-developed heavy-lift rocket the Long March 5B.

China successfully launched its Mars probe Tianwen-1 from south China’s Hainan Province on July 23, 2020. It’s China’s first independent Mars mission.

China’s Chang’e-5 probe came back to Earth with 1,731 grams of moon samples on December 17.

National Security Law for Hong Kong

Chinese lawmakers on June 30 voted unanimously to adopt national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), a “resolute” effort taken by the central government that will make secession, subversion, and collusion with foreign forces illegal.

The national security law, which has 66 articles in six chapters, outlines the duties and government bodies of the HKSAR specifically designed to promote national security.

The law stipulates the important principles of the rule of law that the HKSAR should abide by in safeguarding national security, such as ensuring human rights protection.

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Foreign news

Court of Arbitration Declares Indus Waters Treaty Fully Operational Rejects India’s ‘Abeyance’

Published

1 month ago

August 31, 2026

The Gleamer

Cyril Ogar

The Court of Arbitration has unanimously reaffirmed that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) remains fully in force, ruling that India cannot unilaterally place the 1960 agreement in “abeyance” or suspend its obligations under the treaty.

The decision represents a significant legal development in the longstanding dispute between India and Pakistan over the management and use of the Indus river system.

The Court’s finding addresses a fundamental issue at the heart of the dispute: whether either party can unilaterally suspend the treaty outside the legal framework agreed by both countries.

In its unanimous determination, the Court made clear that the IWT continues to bind both India and Pakistan and that its obligations cannot be set aside through a unilateral political declaration.

The ruling means India remains subject to the treaty provisions governing the use of the Western Rivers, including requirements relating to the design and operation of hydroelectric projects, as well as the dispute-resolution mechanisms established under the agreement.

The Court has also ordered interim measures concerning the Ratle Hydroelectric Plant, restricting specified construction activities while the broader dispute remains under consideration.

The measures are aimed at preserving the effectiveness of the arbitration process and preventing developments that could prejudice the outcome of the proceedings.

For Pakistan, the decision represents significant legal validation of its longstanding position that the IWT is a binding international agreement and contains no provision allowing either party to unilaterally place it in abeyance.

Pakistan has consistently maintained that disagreements over the treaty should be addressed through the institutional mechanisms established by the agreement, rather than through unilateral action.

The IWT provides a structured framework for resolving disputes through mechanisms including the Permanent Indus Commission, Neutral Expert and Court of Arbitration processes.

The latest ruling therefore reinforces the principle that treaty obligations cannot simply be disregarded because of deteriorating political relations between signatories.

The significance of the decision extends beyond the India-Pakistan dispute. It underscores the broader international-law principle that agreements governing shared rivers and other transboundary resources must be respected and disputes resolved through established legal and institutional channels.

The Indus river system supports agriculture, livelihoods, food security and communities across the region, making the stability of the treaty particularly important.

The ruling also highlights the distinction between seeking to amend an international agreement through mutually agreed procedures and attempting to alter its obligations unilaterally.

The IWT has endured wars, prolonged diplomatic tensions and periods of limited bilateral engagement. Its continued operation demonstrates the importance of rules-based mechanisms in managing shared resources when relations between neighbouring states become strained.

For Pakistan, the outcome provides an opportunity to frame the decision not merely as a bilateral legal victory, but as an affirmation of international law, treaty compliance and peaceful dispute resolution.

The central message from the ruling is clear: the Indus Waters Treaty remains in force, its obligations continue to bind both parties, and disputes concerning shared waters must be addressed through the legal mechanisms agreed by India and Pakistan.

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