Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Diplomatic games: On U.S. boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics

Diplomatic games: On U.S. boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics

The U.S. and China have added a clash (संघर्ष, टकराव, लड़ाई) over values to ties (संबंध, बंधन, योजक रेखा) already under strain (तनाव, दबाव, मांग) over trade

The U.S. government said on December 6 it will stage what it called a “diplomatic (कूटनीतिक, चतुर, संवेदनशील) boycott (बहिष्कार करना, प्रतिबंध, निषेध)” of the Winter Olympics, set to begin in Beijing on February 4. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the decision was taken because “U.S. diplomatic or official representation would treat these games as business as usual”. These games, she argued, could not be treated as such (जैसे की, अपने आप में, आंतरिक रूप से) because of China’s “human rights abuses (गाली देना, अपशब्द, दुरुपयोग) and atrocities (अत्याचार, बर्बरता / क्रूरता) in Xinjiang”. The announcement came days ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden’s “Summit (meeting, conference, conclave) of Democracy”, with leaders and representatives from more than 100 countries; China and Russia were not invited. China’s Foreign Ministry has described the boycott as an “outright (प्रत्यक्ष, संपूर्ण, कुल) political provocation (उकसावा, उत्तेजन)”, warning that China would take “firm countermeasures (corrective action; solution, answer, antidote, cure)”. Sharp statements aside (notwithstanding, nevertheless, despite that, in spite of that), the U.S. move is largely (काफी हद तक, बहुत अधिक) symbolic and is unlikely (असंभाव, संदेहास्पद, अकल्पनीय) to have a major impact. A diplomatic boycott (it means that while the athletes will still compete, government representatives/officials will not attend the event. It simply means no official representation), which means no official representation, holds far less weight (importance, significance) than a complete boycott which would have meant the absence (अनुपस्थिति, गैर-उपस्थिति) of American athletes. While Australia and New Zealand have also announced that their officials will not be present in China, it remains to be seen how much traction (संकर्षण, लोकप्रियता) the U.S. campaign (अभियान, लड़ाई, युद्ध) will receive beyond its allies. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was in India earlier this week, has announced he will be present at the games, underlining (emphasize, underscore, highlight) the continuing closeness between China and Russia amid (in the middle of, surrounded by; during) their divergences (difference, dissimilarity, variance, contrast) with the West (The Western world/civilization consisting of the majority of Europe & the North America).

China has seized upon (to take an opportunity decisively) both the U.S. boycott and the democracy summit to launch a counter campaign. This week, China’s government released a white paper (a government report that informs people concisely about a complex issue) on democracy, saying there was “no fixed model” and criticising the U.S. system for its “money politics (a political system in which a politician will support the interests of a specific interest group in exchange for monetary support)”, a message that Beijing’s officials hope will find sympathetic (in favour of, in sympathy with, approving of, pro, on the side of, supportive of) audiences in Asia, Africa and Latin America, particularly among those countries left out of the summit (including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh). India, meanwhile, has found itself treading (walk, step, stride, go (in a particular way)) the middle ground (intermediate position between two groups (which do not belong to either of these groups)) in this clash of values (the clash of values is increasingly found between factions within the civilizations; between what can be called different interpretations of whatever these civilizations take as their collective conscience) despite the downturn in ties with China. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the leaders attending the democracy summit, New Delhi last month signed off (sign a register) on a statement issued by the Foreign Ministers of Russia, India and China expressing support for the games. The G20 summit in October had stopped short of doing so, merely (only, simply, just) saying it looked ahead (to think about what will happen in the future) to the games after the U.S. reportedly (supposedly, seemingly, apparently, professedly, ostensibly, purportedly) opposed a stronger declaration of support. The exchanges (rsation, dialogue, talk, discussion, meeting) this week are a reminder of the current state of ties between the world’s two biggest powers, which have clashed over trade, Taiwan and the South China Sea among other issues, even though their two leaders, in a virtual summit (online meeting) last month, agreed to “responsibly” manage an increasingly competitive relationship. What has complicated that task is a growing (increasing) clash of values, with ideological (relating to a system of ideas (ideology)) differences (disagreement, difference of opinion, misunderstanding, dispute, argument) adding another element to a relationship already in trouble over trade and geopolitical (relating to (the study of)the geographical factors (a country’s position on the earth, size, climate, and natural resources &, etc.) in world politics and inter-state relations) leverage (influence, power, authority, sway).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.diplomatic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - कूटनीतिक, चतुर, संवेदनशील
English Meaning - tactful, sensitive, subtle, delicate; consular, foreign-policy.

2.boycott (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बहिष्कार करना, प्रतिबंध, निषेध
English Meaning - ban, prohibition, sanction; avoidance, shunning, rejection, refusal.

3.clash (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संघर्ष, टकराव, लड़ाई
English Meaning - confrontation, fight, conflict, skirmish.

4.ties (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संबंध, बंधन, योजक रेखा
English Meaning - association, relationship, bond, connection.

5.strain (noun)

Hindi Meaning - तनाव, दबाव, मांग
English Meaning - tension, stress; pressure, demands, burdens.

6.as such (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - जैसे की, अपने आप में, आंतरिक रूप से
English Meaning - in itself, of itself, by itself, intrinsically.

7.abuse (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गाली देना, अपशब्द, दुरुपयोग
English Meaning - misuse, mistreatment, maltreatment, ill treatment.

8.atrocity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अत्याचार, बर्बरता / क्रूरता
English Meaning - act of barbarity/brutality, cruelty, inhumanity.

9.outright (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रत्यक्ष, संपूर्ण, कुल
English Meaning - complete, entire, total, categorical.

10.provocation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उकसावा, उत्तेजन
English Meaning - inducement, incitement, stirring, goading; annoyance, irritation, agitation, vexation.

11.largely (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - काफी हद तक, बहुत अधिक
English Meaning - to a large/great extent.

12.unlikely (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - असंभाव, संदेहास्पद, अकल्पनीय
English Meaning - doubtful, implausible, improbable, questionable.

13.absence (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अनुपस्थिति, गैर-उपस्थिति
English Meaning - non-attendance, non-appearance, absenteeism.

14.traction (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संकर्षण, लोकप्रियता
English Meaning - popularity, acceptance; purchase, grip.

15.campaign (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अभियान, लड़ाई, युद्ध
English Meaning - an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group.

16.diplomatic boycott (noun)

English Meaning - it means that while the athletes will still compete, government representatives/officials will not attend the event. It simply means no official representation.

17.winter olympics (noun)

English Meaning - a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for winter sports. The Summer and Winter Olympic Games organized by the International Olympic Committee occur every four years. The Summer Olympics, more popularly known as just The Olympics is a much bigger event with 204 countries participating as of 2012. The Winter Olympics is an event on a relatively smaller scale, with about 88 countries participating in 2014. Even though these events occur every four years, the summer and winter events are staggered so that there’s an Olympic event every two years.

18.business as usual (phrase)

English Meaning - a normal state of affairs, the daily round, routine, a normal pattern.

19.summit (noun)

English Meaning - meeting, conference, conclave.

20.Summit for Democracy (noun)

English Meaning - On December 9-10, 2021, President Biden will host the first of two Summits for Democracy, which will bring together leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector to set forth an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal and to tackle the greatest threats faced by democracies today through collective action.

21.countermeasure (noun)

English Meaning - corrective action; solution, answer, antidote, cure.

22.aside (adverb)

English Meaning - notwithstanding, nevertheless, despite that, in spite of that.

23.weight (noun)

English Meaning - importance, significance.

24.ally (noun)

English Meaning - a country/state with an alliance with another one in which they promise to support each other militarily and to defend each other.

25.underline (verb)

English Meaning - emphasize, underscore, highlight.

26.amid (preposition)

English Meaning - in the middle of, surrounded by; during.

27.divergence (noun)

English Meaning - difference, dissimilarity, variance, contrast.

28.the West (noun)

English Meaning - The Western world/civilization consisting of the majority of Europe & the North America.

29.seize upon (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to take an opportunity decisively.

30.counter (adjective)

English Meaning - opposing, opposed, opposite, contrary, conflicting, contrasting.

31.white paper (noun)

English Meaning - a government report that informs people concisely about a complex issue.

32.money politics (noun)

English Meaning - a political system in which a politician will support the interests of a specific interest group in exchange for monetary support.

33.sympathetic (adjective)

English Meaning - in favour of, in sympathy with, approving of, pro, on the side of, supportive of.

34.leave out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - exclude, omit, miss out.

35.find oneself (verb)

English Meaning - discover himself/hershelf/itself to be in a particular situation.

36.tread (verb)

English Meaning - walk, step, stride, go (in a particular way).

37.middle ground (noun)

English Meaning - intermediate position between two groups (which do not belong to either of these groups).

38.clash of values (noun phrase)

English Meaning - the clash of values is increasingly found between factions within the civilizations; between what can be called different interpretations of whatever these civilizations take as their collective conscience.

39.downturn (noun)

English Meaning - decline; setbacks, blows, upsets.

40.sign off (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - sign a register.

41.G-20 (noun)

English Meaning - The G20, formed in 1999, is a group of twenty of the world’s largest economies that meets regularly to coordinate global policy on trade, health, climate, and other issues. It brings together the world’s major advanced and emerging economies. The G20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, EU, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, UK and USA. The G20 Countries together represent around 90% of global GDP, 80% of global trade, and two thirds of the world’s population.

42.stop short of (phrase)

English Meaning - shy away from, shrink from, draw back from.

43.merely (adverb)

English Meaning - only, simply, just.

44.look ahead (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to think about what will happen in the future.

45.reportedly (adverb)

English Meaning - supposedly, seemingly, apparently, professedly, ostensibly, purportedly.

46.exchange (noun)

English Meaning - conversation, dialogue, talk, discussion, meeting.

47.virtual (adjective)

English Meaning - performing a task with the use of a computer, especially over a network.

48.virtual summit (noun)

English Meaning - online meeting.

49.growing (adjective)

English Meaning - increasing.

50.ideological (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a system of ideas (ideology).

51.difference (noun)

English Meaning - disagreement, difference of opinion, misunderstanding, dispute, argument.

52.geopolitical (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to (the study of)the geographical factors (a country’s position on the earth, size, climate, and natural resources &, etc.) in world politics and inter-state relations.

53.leverage (noun)

English Meaning - influence, power, authority, sway.