yaosheng flanged check valve

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Theyaosheng flanged check valve so-called "navy chief" of the island of Taiwan, Tang Hua, will reportedly visit the US this week. Tang is anticipated to visit the US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii for a military ceremony and then attend a conference near Washington. He may also meet with the US Chief of Naval Operations. In the past, the US and the island of Taiwan used to secretly engage in such kind of arrangements that are against the one-China principle, and US media also claim that most of these events were announced only after they happened. But this time, the news has been released beforehand, meaning that the US and Taiwan are more openly and rampantly conducting military collusion.

Tang's visit was arranged right before the summit of the leaders of the US, Japan and the Philippines, giving the world a great deal of room to associate one event with another. The strengthening of US-Taiwan military collusion has become entangled with the US' intense moves to gang up Asia-Pacific allies to build an encirclement defense chain against China, forming a destructive resonance of the same frequency. This poses the greatest hidden danger and risk to the situation in the Taiwan Straits and the South China Sea, as well as to the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region. It also seriously pollutes the environment for the peaceful reunification across the Taiwan Straits.

Not long ago, the leader of Taiwan's defense authority, Chiu Kuo-cheng, said that the cross-Straits situation was so "stringent" that he "could not sleep well" at night. In the past days, Chiu was forced to resign verbally because of his son's sex scandal, so it is expected that he will have even more trouble sleeping. In the final analysis, the main reason why he cannot sleep well is that some people on the island are so determined to achieve "Taiwan independence," which has made it impossible for the cross-Straits situation to be eased. Doesn't it feel good to be an upright Chinese? If one doesn't harbor ulterior motives, they won't feel that they cannot sleep well. And the consequences of engaging in secessionist activities will not be just as simple as having a problem with sleeping. 

At the same time, the US is incorporating Taiwan into its strategic layout in the Asia-Pacific region as a pawn through various means, while the Democratic Progressive Party authorities have taken the initiative to throw itself into the arms of the US and "sell Taiwan for peace." The US-Taiwan military collusion is being pushed forward in accordance with Washington's tempo and will. Taiwan has become a tool to be used as a link in the so-called "first island chain" that the US is committed to building militarily, which, in fact, puts Taiwan in a more dangerous situation. It is believed that the Taiwan side should be able to see this.

For decades, the term "first island chain" has been frequently mentioned in geopolitics. After the outbreak of the Korean War, the US has become more aware of the strategic importance of Taiwan. The "first island chain" is the first marine defense line for the US to contain China militarily. It starts from the islands of Japan, passes through Taiwan island and the Philippines, and ends at Kalimantan Island in Indonesia. However, from beginning to end, the idea of blocking the People's Liberation Army of China within the "first island chain" has been nothing but a pipe dream. With the continuous strengthening of China's national defense capabilities, the "first island chain" has become increasingly fragmented and broken, failing to form a solid "chain of islands." This has caused anxiety in Washington.

In recent years, the US military has adjusted its military and strategic deployments. The US Indo-Pacific Command has established four distributed force posture clusters with Guam, Japan, the Philippines and Australia as the core. The characteristic is a combination of offense and defense to break through the boundaries of the first and second island chains, integrate the functions of the island chains, and restrain China without distinction between front and back. In this adjustment, Taiwan island has been given greater significance. According to US media reports, Tang's visit to the US this time is part of the so-called "Joint Island Defense Concept" plan proposed by the US, which aims to further integrate the military cooperation among Japan, Taiwan island and the Philippines under the leadership of the US military.

If the intention is to militarily contain China and maliciously prevent its reunification, even if 100 island chains are established, it will be futile. China's ability to safeguard its national sovereignty is indestructible, and its will to complete national reunification is unwavering. What the US is doing sends the wrong signal to the "Taiwan independence" forces, causing them to momentarily cling to certain illusions, which is also a signpost leading to a dead end.

The American think tank, the Heritage Foundation, recently released a report stating that if decision-makers in Washington are unable to explain to the farmer in Kansas, the teacher in Indiana, or the welder in Maine how their lives are affected by what happens in Taiwan, they will struggle to justify sending American treasure, let alone soldiers, halfway across the globe to defend the self-governing island should the need ever arise. The report also emphasizes the importance of blocking China within the "first island chain." It seems that Washington is deceiving not only Taiwan but also its own people.