Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. All eyes are on the West’s reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. China can see this as both a cautionary tale and a road map for when it does decide to act on Taiwan. With Taiwan, there is really no rush for China to act, except that Western powers are doing the same to China that they did to Russia – forcing the matter by making Taiwan a security issue . Unless China is able to control the money, trade, arms and air space, it will always be at a disadvantage. But China is actively working to gain the upper hand in these areas. It is too early in the game to place bets as the United States still has time to regain the ground lost by former president Donald Trump and the pandemic. And Russia is giving the US a chance to do so. The dragon still has to wait and watch the bear enter the fray first. Suzanne Ho, Singapore Mechanism needed to peacefully oust a leader midterm Although I never thought I would feel nostalgia for the Soviet Union, there was a period after the death of Stalin when a leader could be peacefully deposed by his colleagues and not be sent to Siberia. Nikita Krushchev was deposed in 1964 and allowed to live out a reasonably dignified retirement. All countries with a highly centralised executive should have a mechanism whereby the legislature can remove a leader by secret ballot before his term comes to an end. This should require a supermajority such as 60 per cent of the vote. It is important that this be a secret ballot to avoid retribution against those opposed to the leader if the attempt fails. Some political parties have a mechanism for removing their leader even if they are the head of the country. This happened with Margaret Thatcher in Britain. Although this can be a useful mechanism, it is probably best left to the political parties rather than the country’s constitution. Bruce Couchman, Ottawa Reimagine international relations to uplift the oppressed As an American Christian, I found Andrew Sheng’s opinion piece on the US’ China policy provocative (“‘Convert or contain’: US policy on China smacks of fundamentalist Christian beliefs”, February 12). It is true that Western capitalism has Christian roots, as indeed do many modern expressions of socialism, including, ironically, Marx’s atheistic expression of communism embraced by China in the early 20th century. It is also true, as Sheng implies, that Chinese political thought and socialism with Chinese characteristics have Taoist as well as Marxist roots. But I was surprised to hear the Chinese expression, “to get rich is glorious”, associated with the Puritan quest for God’s glory through hard work. Jesus’ call to love God and “your neighbour as yourself” has long been a powerful restraint on the greed and corruption endemic in both free market capitalism and autocratic socialism. After 70 years of “socialism with Chinese characteristics”, we Americans cannot expect China to convert or conform to any of the various Western versions of “capitalism with socialist characteristics”. Nor can China expect the West to fully understand the Chinese dream with its creative and complex mix of Taoism, Marxism and capitalism. Can we not learn how to compete peacefully with often conflicting geopolitical, environmental and military priorities, and with starkly differing views of human rights? What many Christians pray for is a way to reimagine international relations that reflects the example of Jesus in building peace and justice by giving priority to the poor, oppressed and marginalised among us. And to be willing, as Pastor Andrew Gardener of the Vine Church in Wan Chai reminded us recently, to suffer for the vision of Jesus who calls us to love our enemies and “to bring justice and deliverance for the hurting, vulnerable and the innocent who have been falsely called guilty”. Indeed, we are called to find joy in this sacrificial love that we share with Chinese Christians everywhere for whom Jesus is the way (or dao in the Chinese Bible), the truth and the life. Nate Showalter, Jordan