President Xi sends congratulatory message to start of ITER Assembly

A virtual ceremony of the start of the assembly was held on Tuesday at ITER headquarter in Southern France./CCTV

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent a congratulatory message to the official start of the assembly of the world's largest fusion device at International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).

A virtual ceremony of the start of the assembly was held on Tuesday at ITER headquarter in Southern France with French President Emmanuel Macron and government leaders from China, Europe, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the U.S. in attendance.

The ITER machine, the world's largest science project, replicates the Sun's fusion power that provides light and warmth and enables life on Earth.

Fusion energy is inherently safe and clean, and scientists worldwide are working hard to make the controlled fusion reaction take place in a more practical and economical way. ITER is the largest experimental device to realize that.

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President Xi says that ITER carries the good wishes of mankind to use nuclear fusion energy in a peaceful way. Since the launch of the project, China has always stuck to its international commitments. Chinese companies and scientific researchers have shouldered heavy responsibilities and made concerted efforts with international counterparts to contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to the progress of the plan.

Science knows no borders, and international scientific and technological cooperation is of great significance to coping with global challenges facing mankind, he noted, stressing that over 10 years of work for ITER has proven that open communication is key to exploring scientific frontiers.

The world is facing severe challenges brought by the novel coronavirus, and more than ever, mankind needs to work hand in hand to overcome the difficulties, he said.

China will continue strengthening scientific research exchanges and cooperation with all parties, make joint efforts to make breakthroughs in major sciences and technologies, advance global scientific and technological innovation, and make new contributions to improving the well-being of people of all countries and realizing global sustainable development, he added.