Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Dangers of brinksmanship: On India and the Taiwan Strait crisis

Dangers of brinksmanship: On India and the Taiwan Strait crisis

India will need to assess the security implications (निहितार्थ) of another Taiwan Strait crisis (संकट)

The shooting down of a Chinese drone by Taiwan’s military on September 1 has marked a new phase in the already simmering (उबाल) tensions across the Taiwan Strait, highlighting the growing risks of escalation, even if unintended. Over recent weeks, China’s military has carried out unprecedented (अभूतपूर्व) military drills surrounding Taiwan, following the visit last month of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Some manoeuvres (पैंतरेबाज़ी) crossed the median of the Taiwan Strait and were declared by China’s military to have also taken place in territorial (क्षेत्रीय) waters claimed by Taiwan. Taiwan soberly chose not to engage the PLA vessels. In the wake of the drills, the Chinese military has subsequently sought to continue asserting Beijing’s territorial claims by sending drones into Taiwan’s airspace. Photographs taken up close of Taiwan military personnel were subsequently shared on social media, apparently to demonstrate Beijing’s capabilities, but in the process raising pressure on Taipei to show a response. Taiwan’s military said it took the decision to shoot down what it called an unidentified civilian drone over its airspace in Shiyu Island after delivering several warnings. Shooting down a military drone may have elicited (प्रकाश में लाना, जानना) a different response from China, which has so far played down the incident. While the Chinese military reportedly has been deploying (तैनात) both military and civilian-use drones, so have ordinary residents in Fujian right across the strait, raising the risks of miscalculation triggering (उत्तेजित करना) a serious incident.

The deployment of drones has added a further layer of unpredictability to an already tense situation. The past month’s developments have certainly served a reminder to the region of the fragility (भंगुरता, कोमलता) of the current status quo (यथास्थिति), and particularly of China’s willingness to change it. While most observers expect that a Chinese invasion(आक्रमण, हमला, चढ़ाई) remains too risky a prospect for the Communist Party leadership in the immediate future, an unintended (अनपेक्षित) escalation (वृद्धि) no longer remains a remote possibility. Most countries, including India, have preferred to stay out of the Taiwan issue, considering the One China Policy and the needs of the complicated relations with China. But sooner rather than later, they will need to assess the implications to their own security interests of a serious crisis. Taiwan’s status as a lynchpin in the global semiconductor industry is a case in point. While India’s recent reference to the “militarisation” of the strait is not a reflection of a major change in its approach, New Delhi has appeared to show greater willingness (इच्छा) to do more with Taiwan particularly in the economic realm, such as setting up an alternative base for semi-conductor manufacturing in India. These are, even if long overdue, steps in the right direction.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.Crisis (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - संकट
English Meaning - A situation that has reached a critical phase.

2.Implication (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - निहितार्थ
English Meaning - The conclusion that can be drawn from something although it is not explicitly stated.

3.Simmer (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - उबाल
English Meaning - A state or temperature just below boiling point.

4.Unprecedented (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अभूतपूर्व
English Meaning - Exceptional

5.Manoeuvre (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - पैंतरेबाज़ी
English Meaning - Move carefully or skillfully.

6.Territorial (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - क्षेत्रीय
English Meaning - Associated with a particular area or territory.

7.Elicit (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रकाश में लाना, जानना
English Meaning - To bring forth.

8.Deploy (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - तैनात
English Meaning - Station troops or weapons

9.Trigger (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - उत्तेजित करना
English Meaning - Cause to happen

10.Fragility (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - भंगुरता, कोमलता
English Meaning - The quality of being easily broken or destroyed.

11.Status quo (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - यथास्थिति
English Meaning - Current situation

12.Invasion (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - आक्रमण, हमला, चढ़ाई
English Meaning - An instance of the entrance to the possession.

13.Unintended (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अनपेक्षित
English Meaning - Not planned.

14.Escalation (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - वृद्धि
English Meaning - An increase in intensity.

15.Willingness (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - इच्छा
English Meaning - The quality or state of being prepared to do something.

16.Brinksmanship (Noun)

English Meaning - A method of behaviour, especially in politics, in which one gets into dangerous situations intentionally and such situations may bring harm or success.