Hefei’s Fusion Sector Drives New Approach to Development

Shijie Wang

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On October 18, 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited the city of Hefei, where he encouraged officials to pursue a new framework for the research and development of nuclear fusion. He called for a “deep integration of innovation, industrial, capital, and talent chains” (创新链、产业链、资金链、人才链深度融合), a policy that has since been abbreviated as the “four chains integration” (四链融合). Xi described the framework as a “critical deployment” (重要部署) for the “accelerated implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy” (加快实施创新驱动发展战略), and said that it serves as a tangible manifestation of the so-called “advantages of the new-type whole-of-nation system” (新型举国体制优势) (CCP Members Net, October 16, 2022; CCTV, October 19, 2024). [1] Xi had made similar calls in the past, and this specific model, which involves leveraging social financing (via local government financing vehicles) to drive innovation, was standardized as a national initiative by the Party in October 2022 (Shaanxi Provincial Government News Bureau, December 12, 2024). But until now, take-up has been slow. [2]