A ministerial meeting on International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) was recently held in Moscow. Representatives from China, Russia, the EU, Japan, the United States, and Korea discussed site selection issues, and reached a consensus to build the ITER at Cadarache in France. Six parties also inked a joint statement. XU Guanhua, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology said at the meeting that ITER constitutes a major multilateral S&T project. It will not only promote S&T cooperation in the field of fusion energy, but will also address key S&T issues in the research process. Involvement in large international S&T cooperation activities will help China to raise its S&T level, allowing China to make its contributions to the advancement of science and technology. Now that ITER has found its proper site, China is willing to work together with other countries to facilitate ITER negotiation process, striving for an early consensus on specific issues, and getting prepared for the implementation of ITER project.
According to plan, ITER will start its 10-year construction in 2006. With an investment of USD 4.6 billion, the project makes a largest international scientific project following the International Space Station project. |
