China’s Hidden Quest to Win in Pulsed Power Fusion

The Chinese government views mastering fusion energy as a strategic national imperative with implications for energy independence, scientific discovery, and, in specific contexts, advanced strategic weapons systems. In this policy brief, IGCC senior fellow Jimmy Goodrich describes how, heeding President Xi Jinping’s call to increase China’s technological self-reliance in strategic emerging technologies, China’s leading military and civilian research institutions are systematically advancing and scaling innovative fusion energy technologies. They have invested around $10 billion across a large number of new projects, from new research labs to full-scale demonstration facilities. China already dominates other advanced energy technologies and materials and is well on its way to leading in nuclear power. One expert referred to the country as already “the de facto world leader in nuclear [fission] technology.” So it is no surprise fusion is next on China’s radar.

Thumbnail credit: Sandia Labs (Flickr)