Top 10 Nation News Stories of 2022

1. Xi Jinping re-elected top CPC leader

On October 23, Xi Jinping was re-elected general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee at the First Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.

He will serve for another five years, to lead the nation to complete the tasks laid out at the 20th CPC National Congress, which was convened in Beijing from October 16 to 22.

In a report delivered to the national congress at its opening ceremony, Xi pointed out, “From this day forward, the central task of the CPC will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.”

2. Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

The Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 took place from February 4 to 20 and the Paralympic Winter Games from March 4 to 13. Around 3,000 athletes from 91 countries and regions competed in the Winter Olympics, setting two world records and 17 Olympic records. More than 730 athletes from 48 countries and regions participated in the Paralympics.

In addition to leaving behind memories of dazzling ceremonies, fierce competition and motivational stories, the Games have inspired more than 300 million Chinese people to participate in winter sports.

3. In-orbit construction of space station

Space station lab module Mengtian completed an in-orbit transposition on November 3, detaching from the core module and reattaching to complete the Tiangong space station’s basic T-shape configuration, according to the China Manned Space Agency. It represented a key step toward the completion of Tiangong, the agency said.

The in-orbit construction of the space station started with the launch of the Tianhe core module in April 2021. This year, six related missions were carried out, including the launch of two Tianzhou cargo spacecraft, two Shenzhou manned spacecraft and two lab modules—Wentian in July and Mengtian in October. The space station is able to support the long-term stays of three astronauts and short-term stays of six astronauts.

4. COVID-19 response optimization

After having withstood multiple pandemic waves and successfully dealt with over 100 cluster outbreaks, China has shifted the focus of its COVID-19 response strategy from infection control to case-per-case treatment with the objective of preventing severe illness. The 20 adjustments announced on November 11 and another 10 issued on December 7 aim to better balance pandemic prevention and control with economic and social development. These measures have eased restrictions on economic and social activities.

The government has also emphasized health monitoring and services for senior citizens. It has accelerated efforts to set up more fever clinics and underscored the importance of administering the second dose of booster shots to vulnerable groups as soon as possible.

5. White paper on the Taiwan question

A white paper titled The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era was published on August 10 by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the State Council Information Office.

The white paper expounded on the CPC’s and the Chinese Government’s position on and policies toward the reunification of the motherland in the new era, reiterating that Taiwan is part of China.

This is the third white paper regarding Taiwan, with two previous ones published in 1993 and 2000.

6. Launch of new aircraft carrier

The country’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, was launched in Shanghai on June 17. It is the first domestically built carrier equipped with an electromagnetic aircraft launch and landing system. The vessel has a full-load displacement of more than 80,000 tons. In September, it began to undergo mooring tests and it will begin sea trials soon.

China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was officially commissioned into the Navy in 2012, and the second carrier, the Shandong, which was also China’s first to be domestically manufactured, entered service in 2019.

7. 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland

A meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland and also the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) took place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on July 1.

Over the past 25 years, with the full support of the country and the joint efforts of the HKSAR Government and people from all levels of Hong Kong society, the success of One Country, Two Systems has won worldwide recognition, President Xi said at the event.

8. COP14 of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in Wuhan

The 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) took place both onsite and online from November 5 to 13, with its main venue in Wuhan, Hubei Province, and a parallel session in Geneva, Switzerland.

The outcomes of the meeting included the Wuhan Declaration and the Global Strategic Framework for Wetland Conservation 2025-30, with both calling for stronger actions to conserve and restore wetlands.

9. Jiang Zemin passes away

Jiang Zemin, former General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese President and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, passed away in Shanghai on November 30 at the age of 96.

Jiang was the core of the CPC’s third generation of central collective leadership and the principal founder of the Theory of Three Represents, a philosophy explaining why the Party enjoys the people’s support.

The great achievements of the Party and the country in the 13 years following the Fourth Plenary Session of the 13th CPC Central Committee in 1989 are inseparable from Comrade Jiang Zemin’s great talent, bold vision, key role and exceptional art of political leadership, President Xi said at a memorial meeting for Jiang in Beijing on December 6.

10. Deadly plane crash

On March 21, a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed into the mountain forest near Molang Village, Tengxian County in Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It was en route from Kunming, Yunnan Province, to Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. All 123 passengers and nine crew members on board were killed. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.