The country has ambitious plans for fusion power plants to provide clean, limitless energy. Can they be realized?

The country has ambitious plans for fusion power plants to provide clean, limitless energy. Can they be realized?

  • InvertedParallax@lemm.eeEnglish
    122·
    3 months ago

    This is their best chance to escape their coming economic trap. They control so few actual resources beyond labor.

    As an American I worry they might succeed, as a human, I actually hope they do, it would bring a true revolution by finally giving us cheap, safe energy, and hopefully it would scale down to let us democratize it compared to the massive capital sinks of current nuclear power.

    • PugJesus@lemmy.worldEnglish
      131·
      3 months ago

      As an American, I hope they succeed. This is a scenario like the old anecdote about why the farmer gives his best seed to his neighbors - we succeed only when we all succeed, especially in terms of environmental degradation.

      Now, China’s foreign policy? I’m still up for opposing that.

      • InvertedParallax@lemm.eeEnglish
        2·
        3 months ago

        That’s the thing, their resource constraints are the only thing holding back their foreign policy.

        But I would still consider this a great gift to humanity and worthy of recognition.

    • golli@lemm.eeEnglish
      2·
      3 months ago

      This is their best chance to escape their coming economic trap. They control so few actual resources beyond labor.

      Is that actually the case? I am not sure how many resources china has in their own country (I assume there are a few with it being this vast), but I think they are tackling the resource problem more so with their investments in Africa and other poor countries. And because of the war Russia also has fewer countries to sell to besides China.

      I think the true longterm problem is actually with the cheap labour force you mention. As the standard of living rises, so do wages. And more importantly they’ll experience the same demographic shift other developed countries are currently experiencing with an aging population. With the difference that it’ll be worse for them due to the one child polic.

      • InvertedParallax@lemm.eeEnglish
        1·
        3 months ago

        You’re right about Africa, but they have further to go to really solidify their hold, though the west is sitting around watching too passively.

    • AA5B@lemmy.worldEnglish
      21·
      3 months ago

      As an American, I’m fine with them succeeding. However I’m afraid we are deciding to throw away every opportunity that comes our way.

      If we don’t lead in solar panels, it’s not just because China has a cheap labor advantage but that US decided it’s not worth pursuing. Same with trains. And EVs. And wind 🌬️ power. And a lot of electronics. And college education. And research. Etc