New Security Concept

Chinese President Xi Jinping put forth a new security concept for Asia featuring common， comprehensive， cooperative and sustainable security at the Fourth Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia， which was held in Shanghai， China， on May 21.

With the rapid economic growth of the region， the security dilemma of Asia is a growing concern. The continent is facing a slew of threats to safety and stability from territorial disputes， nuclear proliferation， terrorism， extremism and cross-border crimes. Thus， finding a mechanism to ensure peace and security in the region is particularly important and urgent for Asian countries.

Ukraine Crisis

Anti-government protests continued for more than three months before finally escalating into massive bloodshed in late February， leaving hundreds of casualties. Elected President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted. The country faces the possibility of separation due to the differing stances among ethnic groups. In early March， Crimea voted to join Russia in a local referendum， which was not recognized by Ukraine and major Western countries. In May， the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in east Ukraine declared independence.

Petro Poroshenkos election as Ukraines new president in late May did not greatly alter the situation. Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 and its 298 people on board became victims of the Ukrainian civil conflict as the plane was reportedly shot down in Ukraines wartorn eastern region on July 17. The crisis further escalated and evolved into a wrestling match between Russia and the West. The West imposed economic sanctions on Russia for its support of pro-independence insurgents in east Ukraine rebels. Although the concerned parties signed a truce agreement in September in Minsk， Belarus， the agreement was not well observed. Thus far， a resolution to the crisis is not yet in sight.

Ebola Epidemic

In March， the World Health Organization reported a major outbreak of Ebola， a highly fatal disease， in Guinea since December 2013. Due to a lack of treatment funds and international attention， the disease then rapidly spread to the neighboring countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone and some other West African countries later in 2014， with more than 18，000 people affected and a total of around 7，000 deaths.

When it appeared on the European and American continents in October， the epidemic caught world attention and received more international assistance. However， though the number of new cases is falling overall， UN officials said it will take several months to bring the epidemic under control.endprint

Rise of Radical Islam

A radical Islamist group named the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria rapidly emerged as a highly destructive force in 2014 amid the incessant Syrian civil war. First established in 2006， the group has seized large swathes of territory in east Syria and across north and west Iraq. It declared the creation of a caliphate and changed its name to Islamic State （IS） in June.

The brutal tactics of the IS—including mass killings and abductions of members of Western religious and ethnic minorities， as well as the beheadings of soldiers and journalists—have sparked fear and outrage across the world and threatened regional security and even global stability. The United States， France and several Arab countries have launched air strikes on IS targets in Iraq and Syria since August， but with a large amount of funds it seized from banks when taking cities and revenues from the oil and gas fields it controls， the group remains formidable.

Oil Price Decline

Oil prices fluctuated around a five-year low in mid-December as no signs have emerged that producers would cut production in response to the slump. Since June， international crude prices have experienced a rare and prolonged drop. The low oil price benefits many common people around the world， but is a disaster for big oil producers， especially Russia.

Though some analysts claim the major factors driving prices down are the sluggish global economy and imbalanced supply and demand， conspiracy theorists believe the current situation can be owed to games between the West and Russia over the Ukraine crisis， by which the West aims to hit Russias economy and force Moscow to give in. Due to the low oil price， the Russian ruble has depreciated sharply.

Scottish Independence Referendum

The long brewing referendum on Scottish independence was finally staged on September 18， but ended in failure when 55 percent of voters rejected independence. Analysts said the referendum was also a big move on the Scottish part to strive for practical interests. There are big conflicts between Scotland and the British Government over oil in the North Sea， which many Scottish people argue should be under the control of their own administration. Though the referendum failed， Scotland gained more rights of autonomy.

In addition， the referendum itself also encouraged separatist movements in other parts of Europe.

Thai Military Coupendprint

Armed Forces of Thailand， led by General Prayuth Chan-ocha， launched a coup on May 22 following a seven-month-long political crisis in the country. It marked the countrys 19th military coup since a change of rule from absolute monarchy to constitutional democracy in 1932.

Prayuth Chan-ocha was elected prime minister in August. Afterward， the political situation in the country calmed down.

U.S. QE Exit

The U.S. Federal Reserve announced on October 29 that it would end the third round of its quantitative easing （QE） stimulus， as it sees the economy is on track to improving from the worst financial crisis in decades. To salvage the worlds largest economy from the worst financial meltdown since the Great Depression， the Fed has kicked off three rounds of QE stimulus since the end of 2008， injecting trillions of dollars of liquidity to boost the sagging economy.

The QE exit will further speed up the international capital outflows from emerging economies， having a negative effect on their domestic economic development. But from another perspective， the economic recovery of the United States also means new opportunities for emerging economies.

First Comet Landing

The European Space Operations Center announced on November 12 in Darmstadt， Germany that probe Philae successfully landed on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Before landing， Philae had been flying with its mother ship Rosetta for over 10 years and nearly 7 billion km in pursuit of the Comet 67P.

Philae made history as the first human-made object to achieve a soft landing on a comet nucleus. By studying Comet 67Ps makeup with the help of the 10 scientific instruments onboard Philae， scientists hope to unlock secrets of the solar system and even the origins of life.

Missing Aircraft

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with 239 people onboard lost contact on March 8 while traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

After the incident， more than 20 countries including China， Malaysia， Australia and the United States carried out a massive search. However， the aircraft wreckage has not been detected and it is believed that no one on board the plane survived.endprint