Pomp and controversy - these were the two themes that marked 2019 for China, a year of sensitive anniversaries. It has been 30 years since the Tiananmen incident of 1989, and 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic.

China's violent clampdown on June 4 of the student uprising in 1989 is one of the most taboo subjects in the country. This meant the 30th anniversary of the controversial event this year would be subjected to greater scrutiny.

Student demonstrators had gathered in the heart of Beijing in 1989 to call for a more open government and political freedoms. It drew the ire of the government and resulted in a military crackdown, with party elders sending in soldiers and tanks to quell the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square.

Xi faces challenges at home and abroad

Defence Minister Wei Fenghe at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore this year said the government's action at the time had ensured China's stability and development in the decades after, in a rare public acknowledgement of what happened.

"That incident was a political turbulence and the central government took measures to stop the turbulence which is a correct policy," he said.

The nationalist tabloid Global Times said in an editorial shortly after that the defence minister's comments of the handling of the "incident" had "immunised China against turmoil".

In October, Tiananmen Square was the site of a grand parade as China marked its 70th anniversary, showcasing its latest military hardware - intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons and stealth drones.

Why it matters

Avoiding the potential political landmine of the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square clampdown while at the same time celebrating China's coming of age was something Chinese leaders had to balance delicately this year.

But the rare public comments on the Tiananmen incident and the flaunting of military might during the Oct 1 parade were also signs of China's growing confidence, experts had said.

While some said the parade could also be seen as a sign of insecurity, and was meant to shore up public confidence at a time when China is beset by external and internal challenges, to the Chinese it was a grand coming-of-age party.

The public show of force was meant to tell the world China would no longer be subject to the whims of foreign powers after its "century of humiliation".

"No force can stop the Chinese people and the Chinese nation forging ahead," Chinese President Xi Jinping had said in exultation that morning.

What lies ahead

But Mr Xi has his work cut out for him next year. He has to deal with a slowing economy, a trade war and deteriorating relations with the United States, and growing domestic demand for a better life.

While both countries seem to have reached an interim trade deal, it remains to be seen if both sides would be able to work towards a broader agreement and mend ties.

To make this challenge tougher, 2020 is also the year by which Beijing has pledged to completely eradicate poverty in China.