3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. [Romans 5:3-5, NRSV]
American Manufactured Yinhe Incident: [L] The container-ship Yinhe; [R] Cartoon by Lu Lingxing.
China has chosen a war-free path. China stresses poverty-eradication, economic progress and technological advancement. Her vision surpasses the narrow vision of war. Her records over the last few decades are stunning. From lifting a few hundred million people out of extreme poverty to world-leading 5G/6G mobile network, high speed rail, and cutting-edge machineries and products, the Chinese marvels would not have been possible without perseverance in the face of adversity. An identity-defining and character-building element of that adversity has been international humiliation from the Americans – still in gunslinging madness domestically and across the world in the 21st century. Known for its strident war-reliant distinction and coercive character, the USA cannot and will not survive indefinitely in its hegemony; corrosion eats it from inside.
In 1993, the U.S. manufactured an international incident, known as the “Yinhe Incident”. It was an example of U.S. attempts through international humiliation to provoke China to start a war. Here’s a quick summary of that Incident:
- The U.S. government launched its notorious Yinhe Incident by first claiming that it had “conclusive evidence” indicating that the China-based container ship named Yinhe (银河; ‘Milky Way’) was carrying “chemical weapon materials” bound for Iran.
- This was a matter of “national security” on which the U.S. claimed the right to intervene.
- The U.S. Navy forced the surrounding Middle Eastern countries to refuse docking rights to the Yinhe, leaving it in the international waters of the Indian Ocean for twenty-four days.
- The GPS of the ship was jammed such that the ship could not navigate.
- Then the U.S. sent warships and helicopters into international waters where the Yinhe was located to intercept the vessel, having threatened to impose sanctions on China.
- China resolutely denied this baseless American claim and made it clear to the U.S. that there were no prohibited chemicals on the ship.
- But the all-powerful international bully relentlessly pushed its claims that its intelligence was absolutely accurate and insisted on inspecting the Yinhe. Despite this blatant international humiliation, China allowed the Americans to board the ship to carry out the investigation.
- In the end, absolutely no chemical weapon materials were found onboard the Yinhe.
- Failing to obtain the results of the investigation it wanted, the U.S. finally gave up the search, refusing to make any apology, let alone paying for any damages, and still insisting that it had acted in good faith on intelligence from a number of sources, all of which proved to be wrong.
- The crimes committed by the U.S. in this case included serious infringement of the sovereign rights of an independent country of the U.N. to engage in international trade, the rights of free passage on international waters by her vessels, as well as the freedom from infringement of the personal liberty and human rights of the sailors on board Yinhe.
- The international community condemned the U.S. over the Yinhe Incident. The Iranian newspaper Jomhouri Eslami called the actions perpetrated by the U.S. “a pure act of piracy”, while the Indian newspaper The Hindu stated that the U.S., the self-styled “chief justice of the world”, deliberately manufactured the debacle only to end up humiliating itself.
The rest of the world is not forgetting any time soon the American March 2003 illegal and ostentatious invasion of Iraq. It was similarly based on a blatant American manufactured lie claiming that Iraq had WMD (weapons of mass destruction). Secretary of State Collin Powell’s dramatic display of a little vial of powder at the U.N. as conclusive evidence against Iraq remains a parody of U.S. deceit. A million Iraqis were killed by the Americans and its allies (notably the British) in that illegal invasion. Iraq, a beautiful country of ancient culture (unlike its young gun-slinging cowboys-infested, democracy-touting, nemesis U.S.A.), continues to lie in ruins today, a generation of its population forever lost or damaged beyond salvage. There has been no American (or British) apology. Neither Bush nor Blair – two blatant perpetrators of the atrocious war against Iraq – had been arrested or charged with war crimes. Literally, the Americans and the British got away, as usual, with actual genocide and the West would not, while the rest of the world could not, do a thing about it. Gross injustice created by the West still awaits redress. The prophecy of divine help to the oppressed in Mary’s Magnificat has yet to arrive in places ruined by the American-led West, including Iraq, Libya, Syria and now Palestine. The American-led West are in all truth and substance, the real “axis of evil” by which they label others. Four things, amongst others, continue to shield the Bushes and the Blairs of America and Europe today – (a) their deranged western “democratic” system of government; (b) their shameless hypocrisy; (c) their conniving media, and (4) their dirty hegemonic power of control. They are bad for humanity, and a force for evil around the world. After suffering a few hundred years of inhuman enslavement, the entire African continent is rising to get the West – the menacing monkey – off their back!
The U.S. instigates wars around the globe to help keep its military industrial complex busy and running. But its “glorious” days are on the wane. The signs are clear; even small African and Pacific island countries are courageously taking the U.S. to task on many international issues. They are no longer afraid! And in an ironical twist, Chinese ships today (Yinhe included, see https://www.youtube.com/shorts/62y9nH_dEcQ) enjoy free passage along the Red Sea while the “mighty” U.S.A. who blatantly humiliated the Chinese in the Yinhe Incident, has since the end of 2023 been openly humiliated by Yemen’s Houthis who bomb and impose embargo on American ships.
We see a light shines bright on the spiritual significance of the Yinhe Incident for the world and, more specifically, for the modern China of 1.4 billion people. As Pope Francis has said, there is no real humility without humiliation. Having learned well from his Lord Jesus Christ, he spotlights the deep spirituality of endurance or perseverance in the face of humiliation. The U.S., afraid of losing hegemonic control of the world, has been on open war path towards everything Chinese for some time. The Yinhe Incident was an American trap to get China to give the U.S. the slightest excuse to start a war. As always, the Chinese ancient wisdom of 忍 prevailed. To revive the huge sleeping giant, to be able to progress and grow, China must at all costs restrain herself and suffer the humiliation meted out by the U.S. The alternative – a moment of loss of emotional mastery – could plunge the country into a needless war and forever lead the country to stagnation. That would then place the welfare of the people in serious jeopardy. The Chinese calculus is one of suffering brilliance: if she refused to put up with the American nonsense (a “small” inconvenience), the country would lose “big” (小不忍則亂大謀 !).So China played for time, metaphorically lying low, “tasting the gall” (臥薪嘗膽) to remind herself of her unfinished arduous mission of national revival.
By now, China has endured the Yinhe humiliation and persevered for 30 years, but in doing so she has also survived the deadly American trap, and prospered (中國忍辱30年, 才躲過這個 致命 陷 阱). And look how much she has prospered! China did not stagnate. Her great vision for national revival proceeded apace. Today, China is feared by America and the West. Nothing short of miraculous, her development successes continue to astound. Now, China and not the West dictates the time for achieving her various major goals (such as the Taiwan unification issue). In the mean time, cosmic Wisdom is bearing fruit in the world, beginning with China, and spreading inexorably to the rest of the world. This Cosmic Wisdom is putting down roots on earth, starting with those poor, under-developed, hitherto marginalized and Western-bullied nations who seek collaboration and mutual support with China. For now:
- China steadfastly walks the path of nonviolence;
- China promotes peace; America promotes wars;
- China builds; America destroys;
- China insists on giving a lift to the poorer developing countries in the world on a win-win formula; “America-first” is still bent on taking unfair advantage of the rest of the world (her so-called allies included, cf. pullout from Afghanistan and Nord Stream sabotage), flexing her muscles whenever she deems beneficial so to do.
Apart from wisdom and good sense, we see in the Chinese leaders the determination to suffer humiliation out of love for the people and for the greater good of the nation.
- They know the great privilege of writing the Chinese history with their hearts’ blood where necessary. They desire only that they may suffer for those causes that are “noble and beautiful” and that they might be permitted to love much. All they care about is to serve to the utmost of their capacity and to keep faith with that high vision which they call “party and country” (为党为国). They never stop caring for the community entrusted to them.
As Christians, we see in the path taken by these Chinese leaders – in a country that is professedly non-Christian – a clear echo of the path Jesus himself took in his historical mission of salvation for the world. He absorbed humiliation; he embraced the cross. He loved and suffered to the end. John’s Gospel even insists that the glorification of the Son begins with the cross – the humiliation and the scandal of the cross – not with the resurrection or ascension. And see how St Paul so beautifully traces the path from suffering to hope in Romans 5:3-5.
- Acting with immense prudence and wisdom over the years, how the Chinese leaders have comported themselves resonates well with the path chosen by Christ. Staying ever vigilant of their onerous duty to the country, so that the entire people would gradually be led along the path of revival, they put up with the humiliation meted out by the Americans (國家領導人忍辱負重, 遂步帶領中華民族復興).
And in choosing nonviolence over American war-mongering, China has saved the world from the immense fallout that comes with wars and attrition. In China, we are seeing a determined force for good in the modern world. The World Day of Peace on 1st January reflects the Chinese vision.
Copyright © Dr. Jeffrey & Angie Goh, January 2024. All rights reserved.
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