Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Locked in a stalemate: On need to restore normalcy along India-China border

Locked in a stalemate: On need to restore normalcy along India-China border

India, China need to restore normalcy (सामान्य स्थिति, साधारण अवस्था) along the border before cooperation on other issues

In the coming week, military commanders from India and China are expected to hold the 13th round of talks to continue the effort to find a way out of the LAC crisis. Sharp exchanges between Beijing and New Delhi have served as a reminder that relations are undoubtedly at their lowest since 1988. On September 24, the Chinese Foreign Ministry, while responding to a question about new border management protocols (मसविदा बनाना, प्रक्रिया, परंपरा), laid the blame for last year’s border crisis entirely on India’s doorstep, saying India’s “illegal trespass (अतिचार, अपराध, उल्लंघन)” caused the dispute. The Foreign Ministry repeated this charge in even stronger language, describing, on September 29, India’s actions last year as a “forward policy (a set of foreign policy doctrines applicable to territorial ambitions and disputes in which emphasis is placed on securing control of targeted territories by invasion and annexation or by the political creation of compliant buffer states)”, implicitly invoking (आह्वान, उल्लेख करना) the 1962 war. New Delhi in turn (बदले में, परिणामस्वरूप) reminded Beijing that it was its “provocative (उत्तेजक, आंदोलनकारी, भड़काऊ) behaviour”, and amassing (एकत्र करना, इकट्ठा करना) of troops in April 2020 following annual military exercises (व्यायाम, युद्धाभ्यास, संचालन), that led to the flashpoints (a situation where sudden problems could happen. (In international relations, a flashpoint is an area or dispute that has a strong possibility of developing into a war)). The envoys (diplomat, consul, ambassador) of both countries have also made statements, at a virtual (performing a task with the use of the computer, especially over a network) dialogue, that suggest a gulf (खाई, खाड़ी, दरार) in the state of relations. The Chinese envoy (diplomat, consul, ambassador) to India, Sun Weidong, called on (अपील करना, अनुरोध करना) both countries to “place the border issue in an appropriate position” and said “it is not the whole story of bilateral (द्विपक्षीय, अतिरिक्त) relations”. His Indian counterpart, Vikram Misri, said the Chinese side was “shifting goalposts” in how both countries have, for three decades (दशक, दस साल का समय), managed the border areas peacefully. This, he said, was predicated on “a well-understood distinction (difference, differentiation, variation)” between managing the border areas and resolving the boundary question.

It is clear that (clearly) this understanding, along with the four border agreements, has now broken down on account of (because of, owing to, due to, by virtue of) China’s actions last year to unilaterally (used to indicate something done by a person/country without approval/agreement from other people/countries involved in the situation) re-draw the LAC in Ladakh in the Western Sector. This week’s military commanders talks will take up (become involved in, become interested in, engage in; accept a challenge) disputes in Hot Springs (Hot Springs (Kyam) is the location of an Indian border checkpost operated by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in the Chang Chenmo River valley in Ladakh near the disputed border with China. It is so named because there is a hot spring at this location. (hot spring is generally a spring (well head) with water at temperatures substantially higher than the air temperature of the surrounding region and it (water) is believed to have medicinal qualities)), while disputes in Demchok and Depsang (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) remain unresolved. Since the crisis last year, both sides have set up (form, create, establish) buffer zones in Galwan Valley (a low area between hills or mountains typically with a river running through it) and on the north bank of Pangong Lake, and have disengaged (withdraw, pull out, leave, move out, retreat (of military troops from an area of conflict)) on the south bank and in Gogra. This temporary arrangement has helped prevent the recurrence of clashes (confrontation, fight, conflict, skirmish, encounter), but with past agreements in disarray, a longer term understanding to keep the peace still eludes (escape from, evade, avoid, get away from, dodge) both sides. Recent incidents in Uttarakhand, and a continued military build-up in the Eastern Sector, underline (emphasize, underscore, highlight) the pressing (urgent, critical, crucial, important) need for reaching one. Mr. Misri suggested a way out of this stalemate (गतिरोध), saying “it cannot be that only one side’s concerns are of relevance...” and acknowledging (accept, recognize, realize) that “safeguarding territorial integrity and national security holds equal value for both sides.” He maintained both sides still had the space to cooperate on issues including tackling the pandemic (the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area), concerns about terrorism in the region and the situation in Afghanistan. Doing so will certainly build trust. Finding that space, however, will hinge on (depend on, be based, be dependent) first restoring normalcy along the border.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.lock in (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - बन्द करना
English Meaning - get involved in a tough situation.

2.stalemate (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गतिरोध
English Meaning - deadlock, impasse, standstill/stand-off.

3.normalcy (noun)

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

4.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).

5.protocol (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मसविदा बनाना, प्रक्रिया, परंपरा
English Meaning - procedure, convention, rules, rules of conduct.

6.trespass (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अतिचार, अपराध, उल्लंघन
English Meaning - unlawful entry, intrusion, encroachment, invasion, infringement.

7.invoke (verb)

Hindi Meaning - आह्वान, उल्लेख करना
English Meaning - cite, refer to, adduce.

8.in turn (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - बदले में, परिणामस्वरूप
English Meaning - in succession, sequentially.

9.provocative (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - उत्तेजक, आंदोलनकारी, भड़काऊ
English Meaning - annoying, irritating, agitational, inflammatory.

10.amass (verb)

Hindi Meaning - एकत्र करना, इकट्ठा करना
English Meaning - gather together, get together, assemble.

11.exercise (noun)

Hindi Meaning - व्यायाम, युद्धाभ्यास, संचालन
English Meaning - (military) manoeuvres, operations.

12.gulf (noun)

Hindi Meaning - खाई, खाड़ी, दरार
English Meaning - gap, fissure, rift; divide, division, separation, difference.

13.call on (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - अपील करना, अनुरोध करना
English Meaning - request, appeal to, ask, urge.

14.bilateral (adjective)

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

15.decade (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दशक, दस साल का समय
English Meaning - a period of ten years.

16.lay the blame on someone (phrase)

English Meaning - to blame someone for something.

17.on one’s doorstep (phrase)

English Meaning - literally meaning “very close to someone”; by extension, it means “as someone’s responsibility”.

18.exchange (noun)

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

19.serve as (verb)

English Meaning - act as, function as.

20.hold (verb)

English Meaning - convene, arrange, take part in.

21.the way out (noun)

English Meaning - a method of dealing with a problem; solution.

22.forward policy (noun)

English Meaning - a set of foreign policy doctrines applicable to territorial ambitions and disputes in which emphasis is placed on securing control of targeted territories by invasion and annexation or by the political creation of compliant buffer states.

23.implicitly (adverb)

English Meaning - indirectly, tacitly, understandably, in a implied/hinted way.

24.lead to (verb)

English Meaning - result in, cause, bring on.

25.flashpoint (noun)

English Meaning - a situation where sudden problems could happen. (In international relations, a flashpoint is an area or dispute that has a strong possibility of developing into a war).

26.envoy (noun)

English Meaning - diplomat, consul, ambassador.

27.virtual (adjective)

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

28.counterpart (noun)

English Meaning - someone or something that has the same job or purpose as another; equivalent, equal, fellow.

29.move/shift the goalposts (phrase)

English Meaning - to change the rules/conditions.

30.predicate on/upon (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - base, be dependent, found, premise.

31.distinction (noun)

English Meaning - difference, differentiation, variation.

32.It is clear that (phrase)

English Meaning - clearly.

33.break down (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - fail, collapse, come to nothing, founder, fall through, be unsuccessful.

34.on account of (phrase)

English Meaning - because of, owing to, due to, by virtue of.

35.unilaterally (adverb)

English Meaning - used to indicate something done by a person/country without approval/agreement from other people/countries involved in the situation.

36.take up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - become involved in, become interested in, engage in; accept a challenge.

37.hot springs (noun)

English Meaning - Hot Springs (Kyam) is the location of an Indian border checkpost operated by Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in the Chang Chenmo River valley in Ladakh near the disputed border with China. It is so named because there is a hot spring at this location. (hot spring is generally a spring (well head) with water at temperatures substantially higher than the air temperature of the surrounding region and it (water) is believed to have medicinal qualities).

38.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.

39.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.

40.plain (noun)

English Meaning - a large area of flat land.

41.set up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - form, create, establish.

42.buffer zone (noun)

English Meaning - neutral area.

43.valley (noun)

English Meaning - a low area between hills or mountains typically with a river running through it.

44.disengage (verb)

English Meaning - withdraw, pull out, leave, move out, retreat (of military troops from an area of conflict) .

45.recurrence (noun)

English Meaning - reappearance, repetition.

46.clash (noun)

English Meaning - confrontation, fight, conflict, skirmish, encounter.

47.disarray (noun)

English Meaning - disorganization, disorder, lack of order, chaos.

48.elude (verb)

English Meaning - escape from, evade, avoid, get away from, dodge.

49.build-up (noun)

English Meaning - increase/accumulation, expansion, enlargement.

50.underline (verb)

English Meaning - emphasize, underscore, highlight.

51.pressing (adjective)

English Meaning - urgent, critical, crucial, important.

52.relevance (noun)

English Meaning - significance, importance; appropriateness.

53.acknowledge (verb)

English Meaning - accept, recognize, realize.

54.integrity (noun)

English Meaning - unity, cohesion, undividedness, togetherness, solidarity.

55.pandemic (noun)

English Meaning - the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.

56.hinge on (verb)

English Meaning - depend on, be based, be dependent.