Editor's Pick: India's diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics

On the eve of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, India announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games, which means that no Indian official will be present at the opening and closing ceremonies. India said China's decision to field a PLA soldier who was involved in the Galwan clash as the torchbearer of the ceremony was "regrettable". State broadcaster Doordarshan also said it would not telecast the opening and closing ceremonies live. The solider is one of the about 1,200 runners bearing the torch at a relay in Beijing. He had received military honours after the Galwan clashes between India and China, which began in May 2020 and resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four PLA soldiers. The military stand-off and skirmishes led to a rapid deterioration in bilateral ties. China's decision will now likely again see tensions growing between the two countries, which have seen no breakthrough in talks despite 14 rounds. It is noteworthy that India had decided not to boycott the Games earlier even though countries such as the U.S., the U.K., Canada and Australia had done so citing human rights concerns in areas such as Tibet and Xinjiang, while Austria and Sweden have decided to stay away due to COVID-19 concerns. India has blamed China for "politicising" the event. While it is another matter that the Games are always political, as The Hindu editorial says, with China trying to demonstrate its re-emergence to a domestic audience, that this development comes at a time when the two counties are working hard to mend relations makes it the top pick of the day. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. Click hereThe Hindu's Editorials Winter is here: On India’s diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics A disjointed response: On crypto assets and regulation Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Which State was the largest producer of turmeric in 2020-21? 1. Karnataka 2. Maharashtra 3. Telangana 4. Tamil Nadu To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 04 FEBRUARY 2022 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( India's diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics [India's diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics] On the eve of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, [India announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games]( which means that no Indian official will be present at the opening and closing ceremonies. India said China's decision to field a PLA soldier who was involved in the Galwan clash as the torchbearer of the ceremony was "regrettable". State broadcaster Doordarshan also said it would not telecast the opening and closing ceremonies live. The solider is one of the about 1,200 runners bearing the torch at a relay in Beijing. He had received military honours after the Galwan clashes between India and China, which began in May 2020 and resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four PLA soldiers. The military stand-off and skirmishes led to a rapid deterioration in bilateral ties. China's decision will now likely again see tensions growing between the two countries, which have seen no breakthrough in talks despite 14 rounds. It is noteworthy that India had decided not to boycott the Games earlier even though countries such as the U.S., the U.K., Canada and Australia had done so citing human rights concerns in areas such as Tibet and Xinjiang, while Austria and Sweden have decided to stay away due to COVID-19 concerns. India has blamed China for "politicising" the event. While it is another matter that the Games are always political, as [The Hindu editorial]( says, with China trying to demonstrate its re-emergence to a domestic audience, that this development comes at a time when the two counties are working hard to mend relations makes it the top pick of the day. [underlineimg] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( The Hindu's Editorials [Arrow][Winter is here: On India’s diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics]( [Arrow][A disjointed response: On crypto assets and regulation]( [underlineimg] Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Which State was the largest producer of turmeric in 2020-21? 1. Karnataka 2. Maharashtra 3. Telangana 4. Tamil Nadu To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here](. [underlineimg] Today's Best Reads [[A border move that will only bolster China] A border move that will only bolster China]( [[The curious case of Meghalaya’s COVID-19 relief package] The curious case of Meghalaya’s COVID-19 relief package]( [[Does the Budget deliver on reforms?] Does the Budget deliver on reforms?]( [[Muting the media] Muting the media]( Copyright @ 2022, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](