It is being reported that a two-star admiral of the United States is visiting Taiwan. Low-profile as it is, this will only further intensify cross-Straits tensions and worsen Sino-US relations.

But what it won't do is change the fact that the island is part of China. No matter what Washington does, it will not be enough to embolden the secessionists on the island to take any risky step toward "independence".

The trip by Rear Admiral Michael Studeman is the third to the island by a US ranking official, and it is reported that the cabinet-level head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew Wheeler, will likely visit Taiwan next month.

Such frequent visits by ranking officials from Washington to the island are unprecedented in the past four decades since the US and China established diplomatic relations in 1979.

If they are meant to pressure China onto its knees, those behind such a scheme will undoubtedly be disappointed, as these visits will achieve nothing but cement China's resolve.

If they are meant to send a message that the US will throw its weight behind Taiwan to prevent the reunification of the island, those who have masterminded such a scheme have underestimated China's determination to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

China's stand is crystal clear, the back-scratching between Washington and Taipei will not alter it in any way.

The growing tensions across the Straits will only make it increasingly difficult for the island to share the dividends of the mainland's economic development, and it will become increasingly isolated both economically and politically.

The secessionists on the island will hardly convince Taiwan people of their security by whistling past the graveyard.

By playing the Taiwan card, Washington is doing a disservice to the development of bilateral relations with Beijing, which will not hesitate to hit back.

If politicians in Washington show no concern for the damage their violations of the three Sino-US joint communiqués will cause to bilateral ties, there is enough reason for them to expect the further deterioration of the world's most important bilateral ties. The impact will do no good to the maintenance of world peace and the development of the world economy.

The abuse and menace they indulge in by pandering to the idle fancies of the secessionists on the island do not weaken the resolve of the mainland, nor sap its strength. Instead, they only make Beijing more cautious of the two making a foolish misstep, and prompt it to consider more diligently how to best limit the potential damage of their capers.