ºÚÁÏÉçapp representatives visit China
A delegation from ºÚÁÏÉçapp has just returned from a visit to China’s Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP) in Chengdu. Home in its history to more than 20 experimental devices for controlled nuclear fusion research, including the advanced-divertor tokamak HL-3 that has become a satellite device for ºÚÁÏÉçapp, SWIP is also an important contributor for Chinese participation in ºÚÁÏÉçapp construction, providing key technologies and components.
For five days in March, ºÚÁÏÉçapp Deputy Director-General Yutaka Kamada and ºÚÁÏÉçapp Strategy and Coordination Officer Su Mingxing visited China, making stops at the Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP), the China Fusion Energy Co., Ltd. (CFEC), and the ºÚÁÏÉçapp divertor assembly integration workshop located at the Qinshan Branch of the CNI23 Company, near Shanghai. At SWIP, they were joined by Luo Delong, ºÚÁÏÉçapp Deputy Director-General for Corporate. Wang Min, the Deputy Director-General of ºÚÁÏÉçapp China, also accompanied the delegation.
In welcoming the group from ºÚÁÏÉçapp, SWIP and CFEC Chairman Liu Ye highlighted recent scientific and technological innovation achievements in the field of fusion and the important cooperation underway with the ºÚÁÏÉçapp. China's HL-3, as an advanced tokamak device, has become an important experimental platform for international fusion research. In 2023, the ºÚÁÏÉçapp and SWIP signed an agreement for academic, scientific and technical cooperation including on the HL-3 device to provide support for physics research and future ºÚÁÏÉçapp operation. Cooperation intensified during the 2025 campaign on HL-3, where several ºÚÁÏÉçapp priorities were addressed. Last week, the parties discussed key scientific and engineering issues for the next-stage ºÚÁÏÉçapp experiments, as well as the issues of global fusion talent training and future trends in fusion development.