Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Puncturing ties

Puncturing ties

The row over balloon shows China is a hot-button issue in U.S. politics

The shooting down of a Chinese surveillance (निगरानी, अवलोकन, जांच) balloon by the U.S. military has served (act as, function as) as a stark (clear, distinct, evident, obvious, striking) reminder of the deep distrust (अविश्वास, संदेह) that characterises (विशेषता होना, पहचानना) relations between the world’s two biggest powers. The detection of the balloon last week over Montana sparked a diplomatic (कूटनीतिक, राजनयिक) crisis, leading to U.S. Secretary of State (In the United States, the Secretary of State is the head of the government department which deals with foreign affairs.) Antony Blinken calling off (cancel, abandon, shelve) a highly anticipated (प्रत्याशित, अपेक्षित) visit to China from February 6. The visit, which would have been the first by a top U.S. diplomat (ambassador, envoy, consul, emissary) since 2018, was the result of a months-long effort to halt the downward spiral in ties, coming out of the Biden-Xi meet in November at the G-20 (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) Bali summit (बैठक, बातचीत, चर्चा). The fragility of that effort has been laid bare by the controversy over the balloon, which has punctured (flatten, deplete) the process of restoring stability (स्थिरता, दृढ़ता) in relations that have been marred by growing (बढ़नेवाला) discord. Beijing has maintained (बनाए रखना) that the balloon was “civilian (सामान्य नागरिक, असैनिक)” (meteorology (मौसम विज्ञान, अंतरिक्ष-विज्ञान)), but had drifted (depart, deviate, swerve, digress) off-course. It also slammed the move (कदम, कार्रवाई, अधिनियम) to shoot it down as an overreaction. The U.S. has seen the deployment (परिनियोजन) of what it called a surveillance balloon, on the eve of (a period or day before an important event) the Blinken visit, deep into its airspace as a grave provocation (उकसाव, आंदोलन, झुंझलाहट) — one, it pointed out (identify, draw attention to, indicate, specify, mention), that Beijing too would not have tolerated (सहन करना, अनुमति दें).

U.S. officials have acknowledged (accept, recognize, realize) this was by no means (not at all, in no way, certainly not, absolutely not, definitely not) the first such surveillance balloon (a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for gathering intelligence and spotting artillery) spotted over American skies; there was a similar incident under the Trump administration. Balloons were also spotted over Japan in 2020 and 2021, and over India’s Andaman Islands last year. All three governments did not take steps to shoot down (gun down, bring down (an aircraft or missile or something)) the balloons, presumably coming to the conclusion that the balloons, in the age of intelligence ((military/political) information, facts, details, particulars) powered by advanced satellites, were not important enough to warrant (justify, validate, uphold, endorse, call for) being shot down. New Delhi and Tokyo may now be prompted (call forth, evoke, cause, give rise to, result in) to reassess how they handle such intrusions (encroachment on, trespass on, infringement of) in the future. Beijing, for its part, would do well to reconsider the benefits and costs of what appears to be a new, and provocative (annoying, irritating, agitational, provoking, inflammatory, goading), tool for intelligence-gathering. It is conceivable (possible, likely, probable) that the Biden administration may have allowed the balloon to quietly drift away had it not been spotted in Montana. The Biden administration faced intense criticism at home for not shooting down the balloon earlier. Its response, including cancelling the Blinken visit, reflects (indicate, express, show, display, prove) how China has become a hot-button issue in U.S. politics. This development (turn of events, occurrence, happening, incident) has constrained (pressurize, urge, force, push; restrict, limit, control, contain) how a key relationship is managed. In 2001, the U.S. and China were able to dial down (lessen the amount or intensity of something) tensions (strained relations, strain, unease) after a collision (conflict, clash, opposition, disagreement) between a U.S. spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet over Hainan island in China. Should a similar crisis now arise, particularly against the charged (emotional, heated, fraught, intense) backdrop (situation, scenario, context) of an intensifying rivalry (competition, opposition, conflict, discord, friction, enmity), muscle-flexing (showing power or strength (figuratively)) over Taiwan, and a heated domestic discourse (discussion, conversation, communication, expression), finding an off-ramp will be far more (much more) difficult.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.surveillance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - निगरानी, अवलोकन, जांच
English Meaning - monitoring, observation, scrutiny.

2.distrust (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अविश्वास, संदेह
English Meaning - misgiving, mistrust, doubt, qualm.

3.characterise (verb)

Hindi Meaning - विशेषता होना, पहचानना
English Meaning - identify, depict, describe.

4.diplomatic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - कूटनीतिक, राजनयिक
English Meaning - (delicate & sensitive) consular, foreign-policy.

5.tolerate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - सहन करना, अनुमति दें
English Meaning - allow, permit, authorize, sanction, agree to, accede to, approve of.

6.anticipated (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रत्याशित, अपेक्षित
English Meaning - expected, predicted, foreseen.

7.summit (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बैठक, बातचीत, चर्चा
English Meaning - meeting, talk, discussion (between heads of government).

8.stability (noun)

Hindi Meaning - स्थिरता, दृढ़ता
English Meaning - steadiness, firmness, solidity, secureness, strength.

9.growing (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - बढ़नेवाला
English Meaning - increasing.

10.maintain (verb)

Hindi Meaning - बनाए रखना
English Meaning - state, announce, declare, assert, affirm.

11.civilian (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सामान्य नागरिक, असैनिक
English Meaning - non-military person, ordinary citizen.

12.meteorology (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मौसम विज्ञान, अंतरिक्ष-विज्ञान
English Meaning - the science that deals with the study of the atmosphere and its phenomena, especially with weather and weather forecasting.

13.move (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कदम, कार्रवाई, अधिनियम
English Meaning - step, action, act, measure, tactic.

14.deployment (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परिनियोजन
English Meaning - the act of employing something (resources) into effective action.

15.provocation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उकसाव, आंदोलन, झुंझलाहट
English Meaning - annoyance, irritation, agitation, vexation; stirring, goading, prompting.

16.puncturing (adjective)

English Meaning - deflating, collapsing, failing, reducing.

17.ties (noun)

English Meaning - association, relationship, bond, connection.

18.row (noun)

English Meaning - argument, quarrel, fight, dispute, clash, disagreement.

19.hot-button (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a subject/problem that is important to people and about which they have have very strong feelings/views/opinions.

20.shoot down (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - gun down, bring down (an aircraft or missile or something).

21.surveillance balloon (noun)

English Meaning - a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for gathering intelligence and spotting artillery.

22.serve (verb)

English Meaning - act as, function as.

23.stark (adjective)

English Meaning - clear, distinct, evident, obvious, striking.

24.spark (verb)

English Meaning - cause, lead to , give rise to, bring about, initiate; incite, provoke, kindle, trigger, arouse.

25.lead to (verb)

English Meaning - result in, cause, bring on.

26.call off (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - cancel, abandon, shelve.

27.diplomat (noun)

English Meaning - ambassador, envoy, consul, emissary.

28.spiral (noun)

English Meaning - the process of deterioration, decline, decrease.

29.come out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - emerge, transpire (as a result).

30.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.

31.fragility (noun)

English Meaning - vulnerability, riskiness; weakness, delicacy.

32.lay bare (phrase)

English Meaning - reveal, expose, disclose, make known.

33.puncture (verb)

English Meaning - flatten, deplete.

34.mar (verb)

English Meaning - spoil, ruin, destroy, impair.

35.discord (noun)

English Meaning - strife, conflict, friction, hostility, disagreement, lack of agreement, lack of harmony.

36.drift (verb)

English Meaning - depart, deviate, swerve, digress.

37.off-course (adjective)

English Meaning - away from the projected path; in the wrong direction.

38.slam (verb)

English Meaning - criticize, find fault with, censure, condemn.

39.on the eve of (phrase)

English Meaning - a period or day before an important event.

40.grave (adjective)

English Meaning - crucial/critical, important/significant, serious.

41.Point out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - identify, draw attention to, indicate, specify, mention.

42.Secretary of State (noun)

English Meaning - In the United States, the Secretary of State is the head of the government department which deals with foreign affairs.

43.acknowledge (verb)

English Meaning - accept, recognize, realize.

44.by no means (phrase)

English Meaning - not at all, in no way, certainly not, absolutely not, definitely not.

45.presumably (adverb)

English Meaning - probably, in all likelihood, undoubtedly, seemingly.

46.come to the conclusion (phrase)

English Meaning - conclude, deduce, infer, decide.

47.in the (day &) age of (phrase)

English Meaning - in these times; in the present time.

48.intelligence (noun)

English Meaning - (military/political) information, facts, details, particulars.

49.warrant (verb)

English Meaning - justify, validate, uphold, endorse, call for.

50.prompt (verb)

English Meaning - call forth, evoke, cause, give rise to, result in.

51.intrusion (noun)

English Meaning - encroachment on, trespass on, infringement of.

52.provocative (adjective)

English Meaning - annoying, irritating, agitational, provoking, inflammatory, goading.

53.conceivable (adjective)

English Meaning - possible, likely, probable.

54.at home (phrase)

English Meaning - in one’s own country.

55.reflect (verb)

English Meaning - indicate, express, show, display, prove.

56.development (noun)

English Meaning - turn of events, occurrence, happening, incident.

57.constrain (verb)

English Meaning - pressurize, urge, force, push; restrict, limit, control, contain.

58.dial down (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - lessen the amount or intensity of something.

59.tensions (noun)

English Meaning - strained relations, strain, unease.

60.collision (noun)

English Meaning - conflict, clash, opposition, disagreement.

61.charged (adjective)

English Meaning - emotional, heated, fraught, intense.

62.backdrop (noun)

English Meaning - situation, scenario, context.

63.rivalry (noun)

English Meaning - competition, opposition, conflict, discord, friction, enmity.

64.muscle-flexing (noun)

English Meaning - showing power or strength (figuratively).

65.discourse (noun)

English Meaning - discussion, conversation, communication, expression.

66.off-ramp (noun)

English Meaning - exit lane; the exit from a highway. (“on-ramp” is entry lane; the entry onto a highway).

67.far more (phrase)

English Meaning - much more.