China opens global access to its nuclear fusion infrastructure

China has launched a large-scale international scientific program dedicated to fusion plasma research in Hefei, offering global access to its main nuclear fusion infrastructure for the first time, Xinhua reported. The initiative, considered a strategic step in accelerating technological progress, comes amid the global competition for future energy. The program is coordinated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP) and makes key platforms in the field available to the international community, including the new Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) device, under construction in Hefei. Access will be open for experiments, collaborations and joint projects, in a framework oriented towards "open science" and rapid knowledge transfer.

At the official ceremony, researchers from more than 10 countries, including France, the United Kingdom and Germany, signed the Hefei Declaration on Nuclear Fusion. The document promotes international cooperation, open access to data, and the integration of foreign experts into Chinese projects. The signatories argue that opening up platforms can accelerate the resolution of major challenges in the field, from plasma stability to energy efficiency of combustion reactions. Fusion reproduces the process that powers the Sun and is considered a potential source of clean energy, without carbon emissions and without major risks. Researchers use magnetic confinement systems, especially tokamaks, to achieve the extreme temperatures needed for the reactions. Song Yuntao, vice president of the Institutes of Physical Sciences in Hefei and director of ASIPP, says the field is entering a critical phase: "We are about to enter a new stage of plasma combustion, which is essential for future fusion engineering. Plasma combustion is like a self-sustaining flame, fueled by the heat of the reaction.” BEST, dubbed China's next-generation "artificial sun,” is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. The facility will allow for deuterium-tritium plasma experiments and aims to achieve a fusion power of between 20 and 200 MW, with the ultimate goal of a net energy gain, a threshold that no facility has reached consistently so far.

China has set several world records in plasma confinement in recent years, consolidating its position in a competition in which the United States, South Korea, Japan and the ITER consortium are actively participating. However, Song warns that the project is entering a scientific "frontier” area. Issues such as the resistance of materials to the intense neutron flux or controlling the plasma at more than 100 million degrees Celsius remain critical. "The international program builds on the strengths of China's superconducting tokamak and brings together global expertise to address issues at the frontiers of fusion physics,” he said. The launch of the Hefei program shows that despite technological competition, fusion remains a field where international cooperation is considered essential. China is banking on a mixed model, accelerated domestic development and global integration to strengthen its role in the future clean energy economy. If the projects progress according to schedule, BEST and its associated infrastructure could become one of the most advanced fusion research centers in the world in the coming years.