CMG unveils top 10 news stories in 2024 on relations across Taiwan Strait

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

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.

In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.

Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.

The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.

Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.

Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.

He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.

He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.

Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation