China's fusion program has transformed from a modest latecomer into arguably the world's most aggressively funded national effort, with EAST setting confinement records and CFETR aiming to leapfrog ITER's timeline.
China's fusion program has undergone one of the most remarkable accelerations in the history of science. From a small research effort that built its first tokamak with second-hand Soviet components, China has grown into a fusion superpower—operating world-class facilities, setting plasma duration records, training thousands of fusion scientists, and planning a reactor that could put fusion power on the grid before any Western effort.
China's fusion research began in the 1960s at the Southwestern Institute of Physics (SWIP) in Chengdu and the Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP) in Hefei. Early work focused on small tokamaks built with limited resources. The HL-1 tokamak at SWIP, based on a design provided by the Soviet Union, achieved first plasma in 1984.¹ Through the 1980s and 1990s, Chinese scientists gained experience on a series of modest devices while building theoretical and engineering capabilities. China joined the ITER project in 2003, providing access to cutting-edge designs and international expertise that would prove transformative for the domestic program.
The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), located at ASIPP in Hefei, has become China's flagship fusion device and one of the most important tokamaks in the world. Achieving first plasma in 2006, EAST was the first tokamak to feature fully superconducting toroidal and poloidal magnets—a configuration essential for future reactors.² EAST has systematically set records for sustained high-temperature plasma operation. In 2021, it maintained a plasma at 120 million degrees Celsius for 101 seconds. In 2023, it sustained a high-confinement mode plasma for over 400 seconds. These long-pulse experiments are directly relevant to the engineering challenges of continuous reactor operation, an area where EAST leads the world.³
Beyond EAST, China operates a growing constellation of fusion facilities. The HL-2M tokamak at SWIP, which achieved first plasma in 2020, features a flexible magnetic configuration designed for advanced plasma physics studies.⁴ Chinese universities have built numerous smaller devices for training and specialized research. The country now graduates more fusion-related PhDs per year than any other nation, building a workforce pipeline that underpins its ambitious plans. Chinese scientists are also major contributors to ITER, responsible for manufacturing key components including superconducting magnets, blanket modules, and diagnostics.
China's most consequential fusion decision may be the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR), a device designed to bridge the gap between ITER and a commercial power plant. CFETR is planned to produce 1 to 1.5 gigawatts of fusion power and demonstrate tritium self-sufficiency—two capabilities beyond ITER's scope.⁵ The project has completed its engineering design phase and, depending on funding approvals and construction timelines, could begin operation in the late 2030s. If realized on schedule, CFETR would place China ahead of Europe's DEMO project and position the country as the first to demonstrate a fusion system capable of generating electricity for the grid.
China's fusion program reflects a broader national strategy of investing in long-term transformative technologies. Annual fusion spending has grown dramatically and now rivals or exceeds that of any individual Western nation. The combination of sustained government commitment, a massive trained workforce, world-class experimental facilities, and an aggressive reactor development timeline makes China a leading contender in the global race to deliver fusion energy. Whether CFETR meets its ambitious schedule will be one of the defining questions for the field in the coming decades.