The National Association of Evangelicals is concerned about the security of the 17 million people on Taiwan, and more particularly, about the preservation of religious freedom that now exists in that society.

According to published reports, Teng Hsiao-ping delivered a 45-minute speech on July 20, 1977 to the Third Plenary Session of the Tenth Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. In that speech, Teng said,

Once normalization between China and the US is finalized, it will naturally be beneficial to us in resolving the problem of liberating Taiwan. . . The liberation of Taiwan is but a matter of time. At present, we all know that the solution to the ‘Taiwan Problem’ is not a simple one, and in the end it must be resolved through military action.

The 1954 Republic of China Mutual Defense Treaty is in the process of being unilaterally abrogated by the United States. It has been announced that any further conflict between the Republic of China and the People’s Republic will be considered as an internal matter for China to resolve. The National Association of Evangelicals calls on:

1. The conscience of world opinion to respect the right of the people of Taiwan to have the privilege of exercising human liberties;

2. The Congress and the President of the United States to support the preservation of the human rights of people of Taiwan;

3. The Congress and the President to protect American- citizens in Taiwan;

4. The church in America to pray for and identify with our fellow Christians in Taiwan that religious freedom and spiritual opportunity be preserved.