Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Elusive consensus: On transparency and the state of India-China ties

Elusive consensus: On transparency and the state of India-China ties

The Government of India must transparently (पारदर्शिता) lay out the state of relations with China

India and China have once again appeared to walk away (leave, abandon, withdraw, pull out) from their latest high-level engagement (meeting, session; involvement, participation) with sharply different diagnoses (निदान करना, पहचानना) of what ails their relations. During a meeting earlier this week in Johannesburg between National Security Adviser (राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा सलाहकार) Ajit Doval and top Chinese diplomat (राजनयिक) and Politburo (the main policy-making committee (standing committee) of a communist party) member Wang Yi (he heads the Communist Party’s Central Foreign Affairs Commission and was re-appointed Foreign Minister after the sudden removal of his successor (उत्तराधिकारी) Qin Gang), Mr. Doval highlighted (प्रकाश डालना) India’s concerns about the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) (वास्तविक नियंत्रण रेखा) China’s actions, he said, had “eroded ((gradually) reduce, undermine, weaken, spoil, deteriorate, wear out)” the “public and political basis” of ties. He also stressed the need to “... restore peace and tranquillity (शांति) in the border areas, so as to (in order to, with the aim/purpose of) remove impediments (बाधा) to normalcy (सामान्य स्थिति) in bilateral (द्विपक्षीय) relations”. The Chinese readout (an official statement summing up the main points of a meeting/phone call between two leaders), in contrast, emphasised the big picture (broad overview; wide perspective), calling for the “early” return of ties “to the track (राह, मार्ग) of healthy and stable development (विकास, उन्नति)”. It also called on both sides to follow “an important consensus” that was, it revealed, reached by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi in Bali last year to stabilise ties. This claimed “Bali consensus” had not been previously disclosed (reveal, communicate, tell, report, admit, publish, make public, make known) by either side. The Ministry of External Affairs, which stated they only exchanged courtesies (शिष्टाचार, नम्रता), has subsequently conceded (स्वीकार करना) that they also discussed the “need to stabilize bilateral relations”.

Whether or not the leaders exchanged more than pleasantries (a friendly, casual, polite remark (in an informal conversation)) in Bali, the contrasting (different, diverging, varying; incomparable, dissimilar, contradictory) claims (assertion, affirmation, representation, submission) from the latest meeting have only reinforced (increase, support, intensify, emphasize, underline) the need for the Modi government to more transparently lay out the state of relations with China, and especially along the border. Opacity (opaqueness, non-transparency, obscurity, lack of clarity) and defensiveness (defensive behavior/position) have marked (indicate, signify, represent) the government’s responses since tensions (strained relations, strain, unease) began in April 2020 to any questions about the border or its broader approach to China, which appears increasingly (more and more, steadily more, continuously more, gradually more) rife with (full of, filled with, fraught (with), charged with, loaded with, frought) contradictions (discrepancy, inconsistency, incongruity, incompatibility, disagreement, difference). Only this week, the Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, told a British newspaper that the government welcomed investment from China. Trade with China boomed (grow, develop, prosper, thrive, burgeon, flourish) to record levels in 2020 and 2021 led by imports of Chinese machinery (equipment, apparatus, hardware, instruments), while at the same time the government has banned more than 200 Chinese apps, including TikTok. Meanwhile, after 18 rounds of talks (discussion, discourse, debate, dialogue, deliberation, negotiation, parley), there remains little clarity on the LAC situation and the continuing ingresses (entry, inrush, intrusion, incursion) by China in Demchok (a village and military encampment in the Indian-administered Demchok sector that is disputed between India and China. It is administered as part of the Nyoma tehsil in the Leh district of Ladakh by India and claimed by China as part of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The Line of Actual Control (LAC) with Tibet runs on the southeast side of the village along the Charding Nullah and continues along the Indus River) and Depsang, the last two remaining friction (disagreement, disunity, conflict, dispute, argument) points. While the arrangements to set up (establish, initiate, institute, create) buffer zones in five other points are welcome, the terms of the arrangements and withdrawals by both sides also remain shrouded (cover or hide something; conceal, envelop, veil, screen, cloak, curtain, obscure) in secrecy. As both sides continue to find a way to (to discover how to deal with something) stabilise ties and restore peace, the public should be kept informed. Relations with India’s biggest neighbour (a country that is next to another country; (bordering) country) are far too important to be conducted in the shadows (secretly, covertly, in secret).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.transparency (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पारदर्शिता
English Meaning - clarity, straightforwardness, openness, honesty, unambiguity.

2.diagnose (verb)

Hindi Meaning - निदान करना, पहचानना
English Meaning - identify, determine, recognize, discover ( a disease/illness by examination of the symptoms).

3.National Security Adviser (NSA) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा सलाहकार
English Meaning - the central co-ordinator and adviser to the prime minister/president and cabinet on security, intelligence, defence, and some foreign policy matters. They are based in the Cabinet Office and work across departments to bring together a coherent national security strategy that fits with the government’s priorities.

4.diplomat (noun)

Hindi Meaning - राजनयिक
English Meaning - ambassador, envoy, consul, emissary.

5.successor (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उत्तराधिकारी
English Meaning - inheritor, next-in-line; descendant, scion.

6.highlight (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रकाश डालना
English Meaning - underscore, stress, emphasize, call/draw attention to, put stress on.

7.Line of Actual Control (LAC) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - वास्तविक नियंत्रण रेखा
English Meaning - the de-facto (effective) border between India and China. The LAC is a 4,057-km border running through three areas-Western (Ladakh, Ladakh (Kashmir)), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal).

8.tranquillity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - शांति
English Meaning - peacefulness, restfulness, calmness, quietness.

9.impediment (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बाधा
English Meaning - obstacle, barrier, obstruction, hindrance, stumbling block, problem, difficulty, drawback, restriction.

10.normalcy (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सामान्य स्थिति
English Meaning - a normal condition; normality, regularity.

11.bilateral (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - द्विपक्षीय
English Meaning - involving two groups or countries.

12.track (noun)

Hindi Meaning - राह, मार्ग
English Meaning - path, route, way.

13.development (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विकास, उन्नति
English Meaning - progress, progression, advancement, improvement, growth.

14.courtesy (noun)

Hindi Meaning - शिष्टाचार, नम्रता
English Meaning - a polite remark.

15.concede (verb)

Hindi Meaning - स्वीकार करना
English Meaning - admit, acknowledge, recognize, accept, agree.

16.elusive (adjective)

English Meaning - difficult to find, difficult to achieve; intangible.

17.consensus (noun)

English Meaning - an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group, agreement, concurrence.

18.state (noun)

English Meaning - condition, situation, position.

19.ties (noun)

English Meaning - association, relationship, bond, connection.

20.lay out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - explain, outline. detail something clearly and carefully.

21.walk away (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - leave, abandon, withdraw, pull out.

22.engagement (noun)

English Meaning - meeting, session; involvement, participation.

23.diagnosis (noun)

English Meaning - identification, recognition, discovery, detection, opinion, judgement, interpretation, conclusion.

24.ail (verb)

English Meaning - trouble, afflict, bother, pain, beset.

25.National Security Adviser (NSA) , India (noun)

English Meaning - the senior official on the National Security Council of India, and the chief adviser to the Prime Minister of India on national security policy and international affairs. Ajit Doval is the current NSA, and has the same rank as a Union Cabinet Minister.

26.politburo (noun)

English Meaning - the main policy-making committee (standing committee) of a communist party.

27.Chinese Communist Party (CCP) (noun)

English Meaning - also known as the Communist Party of China (CPC); it is the founding and ruling political party of modern China, officially known as the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

28.erode (verb)

English Meaning - (gradually) reduce, undermine, weaken, spoil, deteriorate, wear out.

29.so as to (phrase)

English Meaning - in order to, with the aim/purpose of.

30.readout (noun)

English Meaning - an official statement summing up the main points of a meeting/phone call between two leaders.

31.by/in contrast (phrase)

English Meaning - when compared to another.

32.big picture (noun)

English Meaning - broad overview; wide perspective.

33.call for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - require, publicly ask/necessitate, demand.

34.call on (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - ask, request, urge, appeal.

35.disclose (verb)

English Meaning - reveal, communicate, tell, report, admit, publish, make public, make known.

36.pleasantry (noun)

English Meaning - a friendly, casual, polite remark (in an informal conversation).

37.contrasting (adjective)

English Meaning - different, diverging, varying; incomparable, dissimilar, contradictory.

38.claim (noun)

English Meaning - assertion, affirmation, representation, submission.

39.reinforce (verb)

English Meaning - increase, support, intensify, emphasize, underline.

40.opacity (noun)

English Meaning - opaqueness, non-transparency, obscurity, lack of clarity.

41.defensiveness (noun)

English Meaning - defensive behavior/position.

42.mark (verb)

English Meaning - indicate, signify, represent.

43.tensions (noun)

English Meaning - strained relations, strain, unease.

44.increasingly (adverb)

English Meaning - more and more, steadily more, continuously more, gradually more.

45.rife with (adjective)

English Meaning - full of, filled with, fraught (with), charged with, loaded with, frought.

46.contradiction (noun)

English Meaning - discrepancy, inconsistency, incongruity, incompatibility, disagreement, difference.

47.boom (verb)

English Meaning - grow, develop, prosper, thrive, burgeon, flourish.

48.machinery (noun)

English Meaning - equipment, apparatus, hardware, instruments.

49.talks (noun)

English Meaning - discussion, discourse, debate, dialogue, deliberation, negotiation, parley.

50.ingress (noun)

English Meaning - entry, inrush, intrusion, incursion.

51.Demchok (plains) (noun)

English Meaning - a village and military encampment in the Indian-administered Demchok sector that is disputed between India and China. It is administered as part of the Nyoma tehsil in the Leh district of Ladakh by India and claimed by China as part of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The Line of Actual Control (LAC) with Tibet runs on the southeast side of the village along the Charding Nullah and continues along the Indus River.

52.Depsang plains (noun)

English Meaning - The Depsang plains lie south of DBO (Daulat Beg Oldie post) in a strategic area that the military calls Sub-Sector North (SSN). DBO is the country’s northernmost outpost where India operates an advanced landing ground to support its forward military deployments. The Depsang Plains are large plains that are suitable for driving armoured carriers, artillery and mechanised units, which is unusual at the height of about 17,000 feet above sea level. The Depsang plains are strategically important as it provides a flat surface amid the mountainous terrain which can be used by either of the two countries to launch a military offensive, similar to the Spanggur Gap in the Chushul sub-sector.

53.friction (noun)

English Meaning - disagreement, disunity, conflict, dispute, argument.

54.friction point (noun)

English Meaning - area in conflict; friction area.

55.friction points/friction areas (noun)

English Meaning - areas in conflict; points of Chinese ingress into hitherto India-controlled territory in Ladakh. These ‘friction points’ are Depsang, Galwan, Hot Springs, Gogra, North bank of Pangong Tso, Kailash Range and Demchok.

56.set up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - establish, initiate, institute, create.

57.buffer zone (noun)

English Meaning - neutral area.

58.shroud (verb)

English Meaning - cover or hide something; conceal, envelop, veil, screen, cloak, curtain, obscure.

59.find a way to (phrase)

English Meaning - to discover how to deal with something.

60.kept someone informed (phrase)

English Meaning - to give someone the update and details about a situation.

61.neighbour (noun)

English Meaning - a country that is next to another country; (bordering) country.