What does China's "encirclement" of Taiwan mean? And the Dalai Lama is under fire for an inappropriate comment to a child

Market Watch

• Indian indices ended the day in the green, with the BSE Sensex gaining 0.02%, standing at 59,846.51 pts, while the NSE Nifty gained 0.14% and stood at 17,624.05 pts.
• Sectorally, Nifty Realty (4.29%), Nifty IT (0.99%) gained the most while Nifty PSU Bank (0.63%) and Nifty Private Bank (0.51%) shed the most.

China ends 3-day live-fire drills after simulating the “encirclement” of Taiwan

China has just ended a 3-day live-fire military drill it conducted around the island nation of Taiwan, saying they tested “integrated military capabilities” under actual combat conditions to “blockade” the island.

The context: China announced the start of the drills after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.

Tell me about the drills: It was a massive show force by China - using multiple PLA Navy ships, destroyers, an aircraft carrier, 71 fighter jets, refuelling tankers, and even nuclear-capable H-6 bombers armed with live missiles.

• This was also the first time that China simulated attacking Taiwan from the east, as opposed to the west where the Chinese mainland lies.

• However, the drills were not as big as the ones conducted after Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei last August. Yet, the act of completely encircling Taiwan - completely cutting it off from sea-borne trade - a sign of what could happen if Beijing decides to up the ante.

Why this matters: China used weapons and military vessels with live ammunition in the drills to simulate an attack on Taiwan. They even simulated “precision strikes” against key targets on the island - making it clear for all to see that if Beijing wants to take over Taiwan, it easily could.

• A look at the number of incursions by Chinese jets reported by Taiwan shows a steady increase in such activity since January 2021.??

• The drills also come just weeks after Chinese ships were accused of cutting off undersea internet cables to Matsu - one of Taiwan’s outlying islands closer to China.

Yes, but: Experts argue that such military drills have a diminishing value over a period of time. Ian Chong, a non-resident scholar at Carnegie China says “To maintain the same fear factor, [China will] have to ramp it up bigger and bigger each time as their actions will have a normalising effect after a while.”

Why is Taiwan important? The Taiwan Strait is the primary route for ships passing from China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to markets in Europe, the US and all points in between. A conflict there could impact global trade.

• A single Taiwanese company - the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) - commands over 50% of the global computer chip market. A conflict could exacerbate the semiconductor shortfall which has impacted global manufacturing

Can the US help? The US has a treaty obligation to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself in case of an incident.

• However, when US President Biden had recently said the US would militarily defend Taiwan, the White House issued a clarification that the US would continue its commitment to the "One China" policy.

Dalai Lama issues apology after viral video asking boy to “suck his tongue”

The 87-year-old Dalai Lama has apologised to a young boy and his family after a viral video emerged of him kissing the minor and asking him to “suck his tongue.”

What he said: “A video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug. His Holiness wishes to apologise to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused.”

The context: The incident (you can watch the clip here) is said to have occurred at a Buddhist event in India, however, details about the event are sparse.

• The video - in which the Dalai Lama sticks his tongue out at the young boy and then asks him to “suck” it - sparked outrage on social media with users saying the Dalai Lama's behaviour was questionable.

Between the lines: While it is unclear what the Dalai Lama's motivations were, it is understood that sticking one's tongue out was a popular form of greeting in Tibet, dating back to the 9th century.

• A 9th-century Tibetan king, Lang Darma - known for his cruelty, had a black tongue - and the greeting is meant to show others that you are not a reincarnation of Lang Darma.

ICYMI

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