Chapter 532

"Ah-choo!"

Luo Zhanyuan: "What's wrong?"

"nothing……"

Is the temperature of the air conditioner lowered a bit, making people feel chilly...

Sniffing, Zhou Chengfu muttered in his heart.

At this moment, he who was sitting on the return plane didn't know that he was already missed by someone.

About ten hours ago, he, Deputy Director Luo, who was sitting opposite him at the moment, and several other experts from the Huaguo International Nuclear Fusion Energy Program Implementation Center and representatives appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had just arrived in Saint Paul, France. Le Durantz participated in an informal closed-door meeting of ITER.

The final outcome of the meeting was not optimistic.

However, compared to the attitude of the US representative, he is now more worried about the domestic situation.

"Director Luo."

"Um?"

With a hint of probing, Zhou Chengfu asked: "You said that now, what does the above mean?"

Luo Zhanyuan still respects this academician-level domestic expert on controllable nuclear fusion. After hearing this question, he explained.

"Basically, high-level executives have no hope for ITER. As far as the sincerity shown by Europeans and Americans is concerned, even if we disclose this part of the technology, there is still a risk of being excluded. Before coming, the top leaders of the Ministry They held a meeting with us specifically, emphasizing that we can delay as long as we can, and we must not let go on technical issues. Either let them exchange their own technology, or we will not talk about it.”

Hearing these words, Zhou Chengfu secretly sighed in his heart.

Sure enough, what he was most worried about happened.

Seeing that his more than ten years of hard work might be ruined in one go, even knowing that once the top management made a decision, his expert opinion would probably be useless, he still couldn't help but said.

"Then we just withdrew from ITER? In order to add it, we paid such a high price..."

Luo Zhanyuan shook his head: "Otherwise? If we don't stop the loss in time, our loss will only be greater."

Having said that, Director Luo paused for a moment.

"Also, although this sentence may not be appropriate for me, withdrawing from ITER may not necessarily be a bad thing. At least we can invest the money given to the Europeans in domestic nuclear fusion projects. "

"What's more, Professor Lu promised to complete the demonstration reactor before 2025... If he succeeds, we may not be passive, and may even take the initiative in our hands."

It's Lu Zhou again...

Hearing this name, Zhou Chengfu's eyebrows twitched fiercely.

"What if that kid is bragging—"

Although I really want to say this.

But Zhou Chengfu didn't say this sentence in the end, but just kept it in his heart.

After all, although he couldn't swallow this breath, he was not stupid...

...

According to Murphy's theorem, the more you worry about something, the more likely it will happen.

Although ITER Chinese representatives are trying their best to buy time, but what should come will eventually come.

The last day of August.

The first "victim" appeared.

Before winning the cooperation of its allies, the United States intends to unilaterally exert a little pressure on Hua.

Perhaps because it is usually too high-profile and grabs the headlines every year, the Luyang Institute of Material Science, which had nothing to do with the STAR Device Research Institute, just lay down the gun innocently.

Xiao Le, who was dragging a suitcase and dressed in dust, stood at the door of the house with a complicated expression.

Three days ago, he was still a visiting student at the DIII-D laboratory of General Atomic Energy Corporation of the United States. He originally planned to come back for the New Year at the end of the year.

Unexpectedly, a document signed by the president himself repatriated them all back to the country.

Professor Li, who led the team, gave them a one-week vacation and asked them to wait for news at home. The person in charge of General Atomic Energy said that it would lodge a complaint with the Ministry of Energy and the local court about this matter. After all, General Atomic Energy did not want to lose the benefactor, but I am afraid it is of little significance...

In short, let's rest for a while, and then go to Luyang to report later.

The doorbell rang, and the security door opened.

Looking at his son standing at the door, Xiao Zhiping froze for a moment.

"Didn't you come back after Chinese New Year? Why are you back now?"

"What? My son is back?" The mother's voice came from far away in the living room. Looking at her son at the door, Wang Lixi stepped forward with a smile on her face, and snatched the suitcase from his hand, "Come in quickly Take a break. Really, you kid came back from a long distance, and you didn’t know to call ahead. I’ll let your father buy two elbows later, and my mother will cook them for you.”

Xiao Le smiled reluctantly: "...The situation was a bit sudden. Our communication equipment was confiscated and returned to us before boarding the plane."

After that, he couldn't care less about making phone calls.

Xiao Zhiping froze for a moment, frowned and said, "Take it away? What's the matter?"

"Maybe... it has something to do with the recent trade war. I don't know the specifics," Xiao Le shook his head, sat on the sofa, picked up a cup and took a sip of water, "The morning before yesterday, we were preparing to Went to attend a seminar on plasma physics, and the professor who hosted us suddenly informed us that the seminar had been temporarily canceled. Then when we returned to the hotel, several people who claimed to be FBI agents confiscated our communication equipment, and searched our room..."

Wang Li looked surprised: "...You guys, you probably met robbers, didn't you?"

Xiao Le shook his head: "No...they have a search warrant from the district court, probably it's not a fake?"

Even if it's fake or not, it doesn't make any difference.

After getting back his mobile phone, he found that the photos taken at the entrance of the General Atomic Energy Company in the album had all been deleted. But originally he only used those photos to post on Moments, so the loss wasn't too big.

Wang Li: "This, this is too scary... Maybe next time the institute sends a visiting student, I think you'd better not go."

Xiao Le shook his head: "Why don't you go, the visa has been cancelled!"

With this wave of repatriation, it is estimated that several of them will have to be blacklisted, let alone going to study, I am afraid that normal travel will be affected.

To be honest, he is still a little confused until now, and he doesn't know what kind of nerves these Americans are.

At least in his opinion, controllable nuclear fusion also sees a shadow. It is hard to say whether this wait will be another 50 years. Suddenly, those who engage in fusion reactors are the same as those who engage in fission reactors , the profession has become a sensitive technology.

Under malicious speculation, he even suspected that this was just a hawkish president trying to show his toughness towards China.

After all, it will be 2020 soon, and it seems that there will be another general election there.

Hearing the unfair treatment his son suffered, Xiao Zhiping said with a face full of anger and righteous indignation.

"Oh, it doesn't matter if you don't go, I still don't believe it, the earth can't turn around without them? Isn't the atomic bomb and the satellite still the same?"

Xiao Le shook his head: "All right, all right, let me tell you that you don't understand either."

Many people don't know it, and of course the news never promotes it like this. The EAST device on Science Island is not actually designed by a domestic research institute. The main reference is the DIII-D tokamak device of General Atomic Energy Corporation of the United States.

In the final analysis, there is still a difference between scientific research and farming. It is not that others give you seeds and hoes, and you can plant them yourself.

If it is a mature technology, that’s all. As an unfinished technology, especially a large-scale scientific research project like controlled fusion that involves many disciplines, how to conduct follow-up research and what to do next is far from clear. more critical than what has been done.

Now, their cooperation with General Atomics has been suspended.

Of course the EAST device can still be used, but how to study it in the future...

We can only rely on our own abilities.

Of course, Xiao Le is not without confidence.

Learning itself is a part of scientific research. It is important to recognize your own shortcomings, but there is no need to belittle yourself. In fact, their EAST device also made a considerable innovation. For example, the fully superconducting D-section technology was pioneered by the Luyang Institute of Matter.

However, compared to win-win cooperation, from now on we can only fight alone.

This somehow still made him feel a little bit worried about the future of the domestic controllable fusion industry...

Xiao Zhiping: "I don't understand what you're learning, but your Luyang Institute of Material Science should be regarded as the leader in the research of controllable fusion in our country, right? Come on, give me credit, and let those Yankees come over and ask for help." Let's go back, we don't care about going!"

Hearing his father's words of encouragement, Xiao Le shook his head and continued to eat.

It's easy to say, how can it be so easy.

What's more, they are not considered leaders now.

Now that ITER is going to turn to stellarator, Yankees and Europeans don't want to continue to play with us. It is unknown whether the domestic CFTER will still be available.

It’s hard to say, the country is now planning to push stellarator with all its strength.

It seems to be called STAR-2?

After all, the ray of light at the foot of Purple Mountain blinded the eyes of the whole world...