The importance of high-end technology in the development and progress of a country is beyond doubt. Fundamentally speaking, science and technology are not about politics, nationality, skin color, human identity, or ideology. They are the crystallization of human rational wisdom and should benefit all humanity. For example, in the COVID-19, China has long ago solemnly promised the world that "COVID-19 vaccine will be used as a global public product after it is developed and put into use".

But in some countries with deeply rooted power politics and Cold War mentality, science and technology are also a tool for excluding dissent, suppressing opponents, and maintaining hegemony. By cutting off supply, decoupling, and building walls at the technological level, it is the common tactic of these countries to "lock in" their competitors at the low end. For example, in the field of nuclear energy utilization, China had sincerely sought cooperation with the United States. But Americans hold their "noble heads" high, ignoring our sincerity in cooperation, being aggressive and imposing. Nowadays, China has led the world in technology in related fields, while the United States is licking its face and spending money to buy technology. The Chinese people, who have a clear sense of gratitude and resentment, have no choice but to treat the United States in their own way - they have come to China six times in a row, which is truly gratifying!

1、 After the Second Industrial Revolution, human society quietly entered the era of electricity. As a clean energy source, nuclear power utilizes nuclear fission technology to convert atomic energy into electrical energy, making it a clean and efficient "green power". In 1954, the Obninsk nuclear power plant in the former Soviet Union was completed and put into operation. The successful operation of this nuclear power plant marked the entry of humanity into the era of peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Subsequently, nuclear power technology rapidly spread and expanded worldwide. Since the 1960s, while countries such as the United States, the Soviet Union, the UK, France, Germany, and Japan have rapidly developed their economies, they have also faced the crisis of fossil energy shortage caused by the oil crisis. Countries have started to compete to develop nuclear power technology to support their rapidly growing electricity demand. More coal, less oil, and less steam are the basic conditions of China's energy resources. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, our country often faces the dilemma of insufficient energy supply, and energy security is directly related to the overall economic and social development of the country. Starting from 1953, under the personal deployment of Comrade Qian Sanqiang, the famous nuclear physicist Comrade Huang Zuqi resolutely gave up his familiar research field and turned to theoretical research on nuclear reactors, laying the foundation for China's nuclear power technology.

At that time in China, the research and development of nuclear reactors could be said to be "impoverished and baseless". In the 1950s, the Chinese Academy of Sciences had only two very rudimentary computers, and the relevant test equipment was basically zero. Moreover, the Soviet Union had the world's most advanced nuclear power technology back then. However, due to the high sensitivity and confidentiality of nuclear technology, the international community, including the Soviet Union, has imposed a strict blockade on it, making it difficult to obtain relevant materials and books. A group of scholars, represented by Comrade Huang Zuqi, embarked on the theoretical research of nuclear reactors in New China under such extremely difficult circumstances.

Since the 1970s, nuclear power technology has entered the highest level of vision. Premier Zhou Enlai pointed out with great foresight, "In the long run, there is a shortage of coal and oil in East China. To solve the electricity problem in East China, nuclear power should be developed. In order to implement Premier Zhou Enlai's instructions, Shanghai has transferred technical backbone elites and established the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute (728 Institute). In the late 1970s, after resuming work, Comrade Deng Xiaoping also attached great importance to the development pace of China's nuclear power technology. He boldly proposed to introduce nuclear power technology from developed Western countries, indicating the direction for China's "high starting point" of nuclear power technology.

After more than ten years of technical preparation and planning, the construction of the Qinshan Phase I 300000 kilowatt pressurized water reactor (also known as the 728 project) began on March 20, 1985. It was first connected to the grid on December 15, 1991 and put into commercial operation on April 1, 1994. At 0:15 on December 15, 1991, Qinshan Nuclear Power Station was connected to the grid for power generation, and the history of no nuclear power in Chinese Mainland ended. The localization rate of this nuclear power plant equipment has reached over 70%. Subsequently, the two M310 nuclear power units introduced from France, a major nuclear power country, were successively built and put into operation in 1993 and 1994 in Daya Bay. This was China's first large-scale commercial nuclear power plant, which not only provided abundant electricity for economically developed Guangdong and Hong Kong, but also accumulated valuable experience for the operation and management of large nuclear power plants in China.

2、 Being controlled by others "- The United States' suppression of China on the" C-shaped sealing ring "began in 2006, and our country's nuclear power industry has entered a stage of large-scale and mass development. On February 9, 2006, the State Council issued the "Outline of the National Medium and Long Term Science and Technology Development Plan (2006-2020)", which explicitly included "large-scale advanced pressurized water reactor and high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plants" as one of the 16 major scientific and technological projects. However, in some core areas, Chinese nuclear power has long been constrained by others. The construction of nuclear power plants is a highly complex technological system, with a very small component containing extremely high technological content. For example, a sealing ring is a common small component, but its role is crucial for components that require a closed environment.

For example, in precision instruments, if the sealing system is not satisfactory, it may lead to leakage and air leakage, and even fine dust particles may invade the system software, causing system wear and even paralysis. There are countless similar examples in history. For example, the renowned space shuttle Challenger in the United States has conducted nine consecutive safe flights. But during the tenth flight, a shocking safety accident occurred, which suddenly exploded 73 seconds after takeoff. After rigorous research and investigation, the technicians found that the problem lay in the sealing system. A sealing ring worth less than $10 was damaged in texture, causing extremely high heat generated by friction between the aircraft and the atmosphere to enter the aircraft, ultimately leading to tragedy.

Not only in the aerospace field, but also in the development of nuclear power technology, nuclear leakage has always been a major problem that troubles the world, and sealing rings are one of the key components to prevent nuclear leakage. At present, the mainstream leak prevention devices for nuclear power plants worldwide mainly include three barriers. The first barrier is the fuel cladding, which can tightly wrap high concentrations of nuclear fuel such as uranium and plutonium. The second protection is the pressure vessel, which is mainly used to store nuclear fuel rod stacks used for nuclear fission reactions. The third protection is the steel and concrete plant located outside the main equipment of the nuclear power plant, which is divided into two layers: internal and external. The inner factory building is composed of a 6mm steel lining and special concrete with a thickness of over 1 meter. The outer containment shell is also made of high-strength concrete, which is used to resist external forces.

These three lines of defense are indispensable in jointly maintaining the safe operation of nuclear power plants. But undoubtedly, the second barrier that plays a central role is the pressure vessel that houses the nuclear fuel reactor. This type of container can be divided into two parts: the upper cylinder cover and the lower cylinder body. To tightly integrate the upper cylinder cover and the lower cylinder body, high-performance "C-shaped sealing rings" must be used. Reactors containing nuclear fuel will generate extremely high temperatures and release a large amount of heat during operation, which inevitably creates a high-temperature and high-pressure environment inside the container. Therefore, when the container expands due to this, there will be a certain degree of separation between the cylinder cover and the cylinder body, and the "C-shaped sealing ring" will also be subjected to tensile deformation. When the reactor stops operating and the temperature drops, the cylinder cover and body return to their original state.

In this way, it is required that the "C-shaped sealing ring" has extremely high toughness and memory function, which can automatically stretch and contract with the rise and fall of temperature, thereby achieving the effect of preventing nuclear leakage. The material of the "C-type sealing ring" is unqualified, and the consequences are extremely serious. In December 2017, Mitsubishi Corporation, a Japanese industrial giant, was exposed to a scandal of falsifying comprehensive material data, and its executives apologized to the entire Japanese public. This immediately caused a great uproar in Japan. The reason is that Mitsubishi Company has tampered with the safety data of sealing materials in order to cut corners. These problematic raw materials have already flowed to numerous industries such as aviation, automotive, and electromechanical. What is even more shocking to the Japanese is that the two nuclear power plants under Nippon Nippon Electric Power Company also use "C-type sealing rings" from Mitsubishi Corporation. If an accident occurs, the consequences will be unimaginable.

For a long period of time, the "sealing artifact" of this nuclear power plant was exclusively monopolized by the United States and France, and the United States held an absolute dominant position, often hoarding, driving up prices, and often threatening to "cut off supply". In other words, with this small "sealing ring" alone, the United States can directly jam the "neck" of nuclear power plants around the world. In 2007, China's Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant held a gasket bidding meeting, and in the end, a Chinese company successfully defeated the American industry giant that could produce "C-shaped sealing rings" at a favorable price, and scored 20 points higher than the American company in the bidding.

However, the 'jungle law' of 'strength is the king's way' has reappeared. The American company relied on its technological advantages to engage in "bundled sales" - after failing to bid, it shamelessly threatened the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant. The Chinese company must be kicked out of the bid and terminated the cooperation, otherwise they will no longer sell "C-shaped sealing rings" for the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant. This is actually a common practice of American companies, who rely on their unique technological advantages to increase the export price of "C-shaped sealing rings" by 15% every year. They also look like "dead pigs are not afraid of boiling water" and do not compromise. They even have to listen to the US when to ship. But other countries are also helpless under the pressure of the "C-shaped sealing ring". However, the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation, as well as the honest and righteous Chinese enterprises, will never yield to power. Finally, the approach taken by the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant can be described as wise and generous. The decision to purchase gaskets from both companies at the same time should not immediately offend the "C-shaped sealing ring" supplier, but also support the development of domestic enterprises.

3、 'Great Pleasure' - Chinese companies counterattack and break through the United States, even if they monopolize this Chinese company that competes with the United States. Its name is' Tiansheng Seals', and its founder is Li Xinggen, a native of Cixi, Ningbo, Zhejiang. Americans may never have imagined that such an inconspicuous private enterprise would overcome the world problem of "C-shaped sealing rings" and break the monopoly of Americans in a few years. Li Xinggen was originally a state-owned enterprise employee. In 1993, taking advantage of the trend of state-owned enterprise restructuring, Li Xinggen also withdrew from state-owned enterprises and went into business by "buying out laid-off workers". He used the buyout compensation and borrowed money to raise 20000 yuan to start this "Natural Seals" company.

At first, the company mainly produced high-pressure boiler gaskets, and the scale of the enterprise was not large. However, there were not many related enterprises in China at that time, with a broad market and good corporate benefits. But the ambitious Li Xinggen has always hoped to continue expanding its field on the basis of pressure cooker pads. By chance, Li Xinggen learned that the operation of nuclear power plants also relies on sealing materials. But that type of special sealing material has extremely high technological content and requires a huge amount of money to be imported from the United States every year. Li Xinggen seemed to see the future direction of the enterprise and immediately devoted himself wholeheartedly to the research and development of the "C-shaped sealing ring".

However, reality is often cruel. Despite all efforts, this high-end technology cannot be broken through overnight. However, Li Xinggen did not give up, but instead spent a sum of money every year to conduct research step by step. As the saying goes, 'If people are motivated, their ambition will be great.' The 2007 bidding completely ignited Li Xinggen's fighting spirit, even anger. The benevolent and righteous behavior of the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant also made him feel the warmth of his country and compatriots. He swore at the time that he would overcome the problem of the "C-shaped sealing ring" no matter what, and win glory for the country. But after reaching the "deep water zone", it was discovered that the difficulties were far greater than imagined: the reason why this "C-shaped sealing ring" was difficult to produce was because it had extremely high requirements for accuracy, with an error of no more than three hair threads. Even if a particle of dust was caught during the production process, the entire sealing ring could only be invalidated.

In order to develop a qualified "C-shaped sealing ring", Li Xinggen can be said to be putting all his eggs in one basket, putting in his own life. It took several years just for the spring inside the sealing ring, and Li Xinggen almost invested all his money into it. In addition to the factory, Li Xinggen originally had a small real estate company with considerable income, which he also mortgaged out. Finally, even his own factory was almost guaranteed, and his family advised him to stop, but his faith supported Li Xinggen to move forward vigorously. After all, 'hard work pays off to those who have the heart', and the team led by Li Xinggen finally welcomed the dawn of victory, developing a practical 'C-shaped sealing ring' that caused a great sensation in the industry. In 2015, the first domestically produced "C-shaped sealing ring" developed by Li Xinggen's team was installed in the No. 1 nuclear power unit of Fangjiashan in Qinshan Nuclear Power Station and began trial operation, marking a significant milestone in the history of China's nuclear power development.

From December 2015 to September 2016, it was the first trial period, and the success or failure of this new "C-shaped sealing ring" is still unknown. After a probationary period, the first domestically produced "C-shaped sealing ring" was removed from the nuclear reactor under the witness of a large number of enterprises such as CNNC and Tiansheng Company. After strict testing by the expert group, the "C-shaped sealing ring" is safe and reliable, without any damage, and fully complies with international standards. After several years of operation, it was found that some indicators of the "C-shaped sealing ring" produced by Li Xinggen Company even lead the world.

For example, American products can leak no more than 5 drops of water per year, while sealing rings produced in China only leak 2 drops of water per 5 years, marking China as the second country after the United States to manufacture "C-shaped sealing rings". As a result, Americans can no longer sit still. They are well aware that with the support of strong industrial production capacity, once China breaks through its core technology, the "C-shaped sealing ring" is likely to become a "cabbage price". Sure enough, the "C-shaped sealing rings" produced by Chinese enterprises not only have stable quality, but also have a set price of only over 300000 yuan, while similar products in the United States were originally priced at 3-4 million yuan.

So, for the first time, this American company's new quotation for Chinese nuclear power plants has dropped by 50%. Afterwards, the CEO of this American company visited Ningbo six times and offered a skyrocketing price several tens of times higher than the company's assets, hoping to acquire equity in Tiansheng Company. But they were firmly declined by Li Xinggen. The reason is simple - 'The core technology brand developed independently cannot be sold for any amount of money given abroad'! However, at this time, Li Xinggen was still burdened with a huge debt, and the country would not sit idly by. The government provided him with a loan of 45 million yuan to help him overcome the difficulties.

4、 In today's world, China and the United States are well-deserved world powers. A great country must have the appearance of a great country and be brave enough to shoulder international responsibilities, benefiting the international community. Great countries should adhere to the basic moral principles of great country diplomacy, adhere to coordination and cooperation, achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, and actively provide international public goods to all humanity. The relationship between China and the United States is the ballast of the current international order, pattern, and stability. The national destiny of China and the United States, as well as the future of China US relations, lies in adhering to mutual benefit and win-win results, exploring new types of international relations, and building a new world of lasting peace and common prosperity.

In the field of technology, we are acutely aware that there is still a huge gap between our country and the United States, and it is difficult to catch up in the short term. However, after decades of development and progress, as well as accumulation of learning, China has also achieved world-leading technological achievements in fields such as nuclear reactor technology. At present, the actions taken by the United States in the field of technology, such as decoupling, supply cut-off, sanctions, restrictions on academic exchanges, and interference with international students, are unpopular and even more detrimental to others and self serving. As long as the United States can overcome the stubborn zero sum game of "life and death" and the Cold War mindset, China is always willing to cooperate sincerely and pragmatically with the United States in relevant fields, and make progress together. Of course, all of this depends on whether Americans can recognize the international situation, let's wait for it!

5、 Reference [1] Chinese Nuclear Society: "Proceedings of the 2017 Academic Annual Meeting of the Chinese Nuclear Society (Volume 5) - Progress Report on the Development of Nuclear Science and Technology in China", Beijing: China Atomic Energy Press, 2018 edition. [2] Zhang Fan, Bao Ou: Viewing the Relationship between Technology Transfer and Independent Innovation from the Development of Nuclear Power Reactors in Chinese Mainland [3] Fan Yingjie and Fan Chunliang: Seeking a Common Foundation to Promote Exchange and Cooperation - Interpretation and Enlightenment Suggestions on Major Science and Technology Policy Reports of US Think Tanks and the Scientific Community, published in the Journal of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Issue 2, 2022. [4] Chen Runyang: Strategic Discussion on China's Nuclear Power Going Global in the Context of the "the Belt and Road" - Systematic Analysis Based on SWOT-PEST Model, published in Journal of Nanhua University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 2016, Issue 5. [5] Wang Ming: "Nuclear Reactors with China's" Heart "Control Rod Drive System Passed Acceptance", published in "China Equipment Engineering", 2015, Issue 1. [6] Wu Haosong and Dai Ding: "The Global Leadership of the US Civil Nuclear Industry Faces Serious Challenges", published in Foreign Nuclear News, Issue 9, 2017.