"Let everyone who is Godly pray to you while you may be found"  (Psalm 32:6)

PRAYER NEEDED TO END STANDOFF
Accident Precipitated Inevitable US-China Clash

OVERVIEW:

The Sunday mid-air collision between a Red Chinese fighter and a US military spy plane forced to land on Chinese soil has led to a three-day standoff between our nations. President Bush urged China to release immediately the 24 American crewmembers and return the plane; suggesting further delay could undermine US-Chinese relations (see http://www.newsday.com/ap/washington/ap685.htm.)
--China and the US gave radically different versions of what happened in the collision. China says the plane intruded into Chinese airspace. The US says the EP-3 was flying in international air space (the Taiwanese military, which monitored the flight, says the US plane was in international airspace).
--China has demanded an apology from the US. The U.S. says no apology is warranted and no apology will be forthcoming.
--U.S. Diplomats, allowed to meet with crewmembers for the first time today, say they are in good health and to have received good treatment.
--China watchers know that anti-American sentiment is growing in China - fueled by government propaganda. Chinese military leaders have repeatedly said that the US is China's #1 enemy and has recently announced an 18% increase in its already disproportionate military spending.
For years, the CHPA has urged Christians to pray over US-China policy. The present standoff may be quickly resolved or China may turn this accident into a major confrontation to the US and President Bush. Even if resolved quickly, Christians must take this as a wake-up call for immediate and ongoing prayer.

Please Join Us in Agreeing Prayer:

-Heavenly Father, GIVE President Bush & our foreign policy team SUPERNATURAL WISDOM. INTERVENE to hasten the return of our Airmen & women & our airplane (Pr 16:7; Is 31:1-3; Acts 4:29-30).
-CONSTRAIN President Jiang Zemin and the Chinese leaders. PREVENT this from escalating into a major confrontation. In Jesus' Name, Amen (Ex 23:22, 27, Lev 26:3,7; Ps 7:9-13; 120:6-7; Jer 17:5-10).