Today is the last day of 2008, a year of many ups and downs for Beijing, ranging from the Sichuan earthquake in May, when the world wept with China and offered help, to the Tibetan protests and subsequent crackdown, which gave China a black eye internationally. It was also the year of China's coming out party, in the form of the Beijing Olympics, when the country stunningly showed just how much progress it had made in the past 30 years.
And, after the Olympics ended, China wowed the world again with the launch of the Shenzhou VII space module, and the first spacewalk by a Chinese astronaut.
China, it was clear, had arrived in the front ranks of the world's nations not only in overall economic development but also in the realm of science. But the country's reputation suffered a grave setback with the revelation that greedy dairy companies had laced milk with melamine, a chemical that causes damage to kidneys, to make it look rich in protein. Hundreds of thousands of children became ill, and a few died.
The year ended, quite appropriately, with China's announcement that it would send naval vessels to join in the international fight against piracy near the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia - the first such venture in 600 years and proof positive that China was reclaiming its historic position not only in the region, but the world.
The Somali piracy crisis is a godsend to China, enabling its military to flex its muscle without appearing to be threatening. Instead, it simply seems to be responding to a call from the UN to safeguard peace and security in the sea lanes that are heavily used by Chinese and other shipping.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of 2009, a year of many anniversaries. January 1 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the US and the People's Republic of China. The occasion is well worth celebrating, with many people now considering the Sino-American relationship the most important bilateral relationship of the 21st century.
The coming year will be full of challenges for China. The economic growth of the past several decades has been largely export-led. But, with its main customers the US, Japan and the 15-nation euro zone in recession, Beijing is hoping that domestic demand will make up for any slump overseas.
