A Welcome Gift

The new African Union (AU) Headquarters was completed early 2012. On January 28, China officially gave the 100-meter-tall building to the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Worth $200 million, the building was funded, designed and built by China. Scholars say that the towering building, Addis Ababa's tallest, symbolizes China's strengthening ties with Africa. This gift from China is of great value as it will assist in the efficient functioning of the AU, which is increasing its influence over the continent. (Issue February)

Significant Visit

After being elected Egyptian president in late June, Mohamed Morsi traveled to China on August 28 for a three-day state visit. This was his first state visit outside the Arab world after becoming Egyptian head of state. His visit to China has been widely interpreted as a sign of Morsi's more balanced foreign policy by shifting the country's focus from the West to the East. Egypt was the first African country to establish diplomatic relations with China in 1956, and ever since, the two countries have maintained good relations. (Issue October)

NATIONAL DEFENSE:

First Aircraft Carrier

China has successfully conducted flight landings on its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, on November 25. Designed and made in China, the J-15, which was used in the landing exercise, is able to carry multi-type anti-ship, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, as well as precision-guided bombs. This is China's first carrier-borne fighter jet for China's first aircraft carrier. On September 25, 2012, China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was delivered and commissioned to the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) after years of refitting and sea trials.   

SCIENCE

Space Exploration

China achieved its first manned space docking on June 18, as its Shenzhou 9 spacecraft and Tiangong-1 space station met in orbit. Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng, Liu Wang and Liu Yang, China's first woman in space, were launched into space on June 16, propelled by a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert. Experts say that the success of the procedure shows that China has completely grasped space rendezvous and docking technologies and the country is fully capable of transporting humans and cargo to an orbiter in space, which is essential for the country's plans to build a space station around 2020. (Issue July)