The year 2020 started with an unprecedented crisis.

With a novel virus spreading worldwide, human society faced a once-in-a-century pandemic that killed thousands in one day, disrupted life and work, and damaged the global economy.

But it also brought out the best in people. Medical workers fought the disease selflessly and people from all walks of life joined the fight in their own ways, showing solidarity and resilience.

The year 2020 also left the world polarized. Though China was the first country to report the virus, there is now increasing evidence that the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) appeared in other parts of the world much earlier. While the international community should have been united in fighting this common enemy, a few major countries instead used COVID-19 to slander and attack China, and the global response became disunited. It was followed by international disputes on the distribution efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

Besides COVID-19, Brexit polarized Europe as well, with Britain's exit from the European Union. The presidential election in the United States vertically split American society, while the Black Lives Matter protests shook the harmony among races.

Though this was the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, conflict among countries continued, the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia being an example, impacting regional peace.

But despite the clouds, the year 2020 also gave us reasons to remain optimistic and even proud.

Conflicts notwithstanding, humankind is still pursuing a better life and the path of peaceful development and continuing to explore new frontiers of science.

In the field of economy, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement signed by 15 economies on November 15 restored faith in multilateralism. In politics and diplomacy, Israel normalized diplomatic relations with four Arab League countries, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

Both China and the United States launched Mars probes, starting a new stage in the exploration of outer space. Also in this year, astronomers found for the first time evidence proving the existence of intermediate-mass black holes, remnants of massive stars, a discovery that will lead to better understanding of the bodies in the Milky Way.

In the coming year, we hope society will absorb the lessons from this year of crisis and cooperation alike and realize which is the right direction for a shared future. We hope there will be less polarity and more harmony, fewer crises and greater consolidation.

We wish our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.