August 3, 2022
Last night, August 2, my wife and I sat glued to the TV as the news here in Taiwan was filled with reports about Nancy Pelosi visiting as part of her Asia itinerary. Speaker Pelosi arrived on August 2 just before midnight at the Songshan Airport, the airport where my wife took her first plane trip as a child leaving home to go live in the US.
Later that evening as we headed to sleep after my head was filled with news reports and questions about what this meant for the future of the island, also known as Formosa. Pelosi was greeted at the airport by those supporting her visit as well as those protesting her visit. News reports contained voices from both sides as well, some supporting while others opposing the visit, a sign of the free speech that has marked Taiwan’s press for the past several decades.
As Pelosi met with President Tsai Ing-wen on the morning of August 3 the question my wife and I discussed was whether this visit was something the people of Taiwan actually wanted or wasthis thrust upon them by a superpower nation wanting to prove to China that it would not be intimidated. Many Taiwanese feel caught between the two global powerhouses of China and the US. As China has threatened retaliation for this visit who will ultimately pay the price?
News of China refusing food imports from Taiwan has filled the broadcast media over the last 24 hours. The price to pay for this short visit will cost some Taiwanese businesses’ monetarily which will eventually trickle down to the consumers.
On the other hand, many in Taiwan feel the friendship between them and the United States is something they greatly value. The evening of Pelosi’s arrival Taiwan’s tallest skyscraper, Taipei 101, was lit up with the message “Speaker Pelosi Welcome to TW Thank you TW (heart) US”. Local onlookers nearby Taipei 101 cheered with excitement and pride.
Meanwhile, reports of China ramping up military “exercises” were coming in. On August 3 that presence was stepped up and it is expected to last for several days with “military operations” in the East China Sea. While all this sounds very scary this sort of “saber-rattling” has been going on for years. In mid-1990 Taiwan’s then-President Lee Tung-hui was granted a visa to attend a class reunion for his Alma Mater, Cornell University. Through the work of Congress in opposition to President Clinton’s wishes, the US welcomed President Lee. As a result, missile exercises were conducted by China and directed at Taiwan.
Similarly, in 1997 then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich visited Taiwan and attracted a good deal of unwanted attention from China. These events provide a bit of a historical perspective on how cross-strait relations have ebbed and flowed over the past several decades. Knowing this helpscut a bit through the media hype surrounding these events. On the other hand, there is real tension and uncertainty that Taiwanese citizens must face each day, a palpable reminder of theunavoidable possibility of conflict. Add to this the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and there are some unique aspects to the tensions that exist now between China and Taiwan.
As my wife and I continued our discussions the evening of Pelosi’s departure from Taiwan, August 3, we reflected on how this is being processed by our Christian brothers and sisters in China with whom we are in regular contact. Many are not receiving the news of Pelosi’s visit or the tensions that are mounting. The Xi regime in China is gearing up for a big Party Congress in just a few months and is extra vigilant about propaganda. For those of us in Christ, there is a true Christian affinity that ties believers together across political borders. Given this situation how do we exercise our kingdom citizenship when brothers and sisters in Christ seem to be caught in the middle? Beyond all the political rhetoric we need the assurance that God’s kingdom is both a real kingdom and an undivided kingdom. That despite the reality of living under earthly rulers, those of us who are in Christ serve one King who reigns supreme above all nations. The words of Psalm 22:27-28 then, seem all the more appropriate,
“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.”
Urban Farmer 