The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak in Hefei achieved the longest-duration controlled fusion reaction in history, beating its own previous record. The 'artificial sun' operated at temperatures seven times hotter than the core of the actual sun.
China launched the China Fusion Energy Corporation (CFEC) as a state-backed commercial fusion company, signaling intent to move from research to deployment. Fusion is named as a 'future industry' in the 15th Five-Year Plan. EAST also serves as a testbed for ITER, the international fusion project in France.
The fundamental challenge remains: sustaining plasma is different from generating net energy, which is different from generating economically viable power. But China's willingness to invest at national scale — combining state labs, universities, and commercial entities — gives it a structural advantage in a field that requires decades of patient capital.