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Eye on the World: anti-China protests in Vietnam
Anti-China protests, which resulted in fatalities, broke out in Vietnam last week, after China deployed a massive oil rig in waters also claimed by Vietnam. The protests increased to thousands of people and were initially allowed by the Vietnamese government. When rioters began targeting factories believed to have Chinese owners, at least two Chinese nationals were killed and about a thousand wounded. Since then, thousands of Chinese workers have fled Vietnam. Although Vietnamese police clamped down on the riots on Sunday, the territorial dispute, exacerbated by China’s oil rig, remains unresolved.
How can territorial issues be addressed in a way that brings peace and satisfaction to all parties, instead of letting tensions roil under the surface? God, the one Mind, offers an answer to that question by ruling all nations under the government of His love.
“‘Let there be no strife’” draws inspiration from one of the first prayers for peace -- voiced by Abraham when he and his brother Lot were in a dispute over land. The author explains how our prayers to perceive more of God’s grace can bring out qualities of humility and forgiveness, helping to enable the resolution of disputes that may seem intractable.
In “China and Taiwan: hope and prayer for peace,” an American living in Taiwan shares how she prayed about international relations—especially with regard to China—by starting with the definition of God given in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “GOD. The great I AM; the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving, and eternal ...” (p. 587). We can pray to see that God is the only source of action, and that God’s goodwill must result in constructive outcomes between countries.
You might also enjoy “The taxi driver,” in which a writer discusses how a visit with Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi gave her insights—and hope—for peace in Southeast Asia and in the world. She writes, “No country is left out of experiencing justice, freedom, and happiness as her divine right and as natural progress and law.” Our prayers to see God’s government at work in China and Vietnam, and around the world, can help to ease tensions and promote harmony.