中国在核能领域的突破将真正改变世界
What Is Really Going to Change the World – China’s Nuclear Energy Breakthrough
译文简介
中国已建成并运行全球首座钍核反应堆，文章分析了这对世界带来的影响，网友感叹美国又有一领域被中国超越。
正文翻译
As the world is spellbound by the zigzagging tariff war drama launched by reality TV star Donnie Trump and people marvel at the sheer destructiveness of a stupid mad man, a truly momentous event just happened in China.
当全世界被真人秀明星唐尼·特朗普发起的曲折关税战戏剧所吸引，并惊叹于这个愚蠢疯子的纯粹破坏力时，中国刚刚发生了一件真正重大的事件。
In early April, Chinese scientists achieved a milestone in clean energy technology by successfully adding fresh fuel to an operational thorium molten salt reactor, the first of its kind in the world. The breakthrough signals the arrival of commercially viable thorium nuclear reactor in China’s future energy mix.
四月初，中国科学家在清洁能源技术领域取得里程碑式成就，成功为全球首座运行中的钍基熔盐堆添加新燃料。这一突破标志着商业可行的钍核反应堆即将进入中国未来的能源结构。
Thorium is much safer and more abundant alternative to uranium for nuclear power as it is widely available, cheaper to extract, has higher energy density, and produces far less long-lasting nuclear waste.
钍是比铀更安全、更丰富的核能替代品，因为它分布广泛、开采成本更低、能量密度更高，且产生的长期核废料少得多。
It is far safer than uranium as it is not fissile on its own so cannot be weaponized. Nuclear industry experts see thorium as the holy grail for future energy revolution next to nuclear fusion, which I’ll touch on briefly at the end.
它比铀安全得多，因为钍本身不可裂变，无法被武器化。核工业专家将钍视为仅次于核聚变的未来能源革命“圣杯”——我将在文末简要提及后者。
Thorium is found in abundant quantity in earth’s crust all over the world. One single mine in China’s Inner Mongolia, the Bayan Obo mine, has enough thorium deposits to theoretically meet China’s energy needs for the next 20,000 years, while producing minimal radioactive waste.
钍在地壳中储量丰富。仅中国内蒙古的白云鄂博矿，其钍储量理论上就能满足中国未来2万年的能源需求，同时产生的放射性废料极少。
The most promising technological direction is to use thorium in molten salt reactors. While multiple nations are developing the technology, China is the first to build an experimental thorium molten salt reactor.
最具前景的技术方向是将钍用于熔盐反应堆。尽管多国在研发该技术，但中国率先建成了实验性钍基熔盐堆。
The latest breakthrough to add fresh fuel to an operational reactor indicates such technology is ready for sustained commercial deployment.
此次为运行中的反应堆添加新燃料的突破，表明该技术已具备持续商业部署的条件。
It marks the first long-term, stable operation of the technology, putting China at the forefront of a global race to harness thorium for nuclear power.
这标志着该技术首次实现长期稳定运行，使中国在钍核能开发的全球竞赛中处于领先地位。
The experimental reactor, located in the Gobi Desert in China’s west, uses molten salt as the fuel carrier and coolant, and thorium as the fuel source. The reactor is designed to sustainably generate 2 megawatts of thermal power.
这座位于中国西部戈壁的实验反应堆以熔盐为燃料载体和冷却剂，钍为燃料来源，设计可持续产生2兆瓦热能。
The development was announced by the project’s chief scientist, Xu Hongjie, at the Chinese Academy of Sciences on April 8. Xu said China “now leads the global frontier for thorium nuclear technology”.
4月8日，项目首席科学家徐洪杰在中国科学院宣布了这一进展。他表示中国“现已引领钍核技术的全球前沿”。
China’s thorium molten salt reactor project began with theoretical research in the 1970s, and in 2009 the CAS leadership tasked Xu with making the next-generation nuclear energy technology a reality.
中国的钍基熔盐堆项目始于1970年代的理论研究，2009年中科院领导层委派徐洪杰将这项下一代核能技术变为现实。
The project team expanded from dozens of members to more than 400 researchers within two years.
项目团队研究人员在两年内从几十人扩展到400多名。
“We learned by doing, and did by learning,” Xu said. The challenges were immense – designing new materials, troubleshooting for extreme temperatures, and dealing with engineering components that had never been built before.
“我们在做中学，在学中做。”徐洪杰说。挑战是巨大的——设计新材料、解决极端温度下的故障，以及处理从未制造过的工程部件。
After construction of the experimental reactor started in 2018, most of the scientists involved in the project gave up their holidays – they worked day and night, and some stayed on site for more than 300 days in a year. The Gobi Desert is thousands of kilometres away from the major coastal cities.
2018年实验堆开建后，多数参与项目的科学家放弃了休假——他们日夜工作，有些人一年在现场驻留超过300天。戈壁沙漠距离沿海大城市数千公里。
By October 2023 it was built and achieved criticality – a sustained nuclear chain reaction. And by June 2024 it had reached full-power operation.
2023年10月，反应堆建成并实现临界——即持续核链式反应。至2024年6月，它已达到满功率运行。
Earlier this year the process of thorium fuel reloading was completed while the reactor was running – making it the only operational thorium reactor in the world.
今年早些时候，反应堆在运行期间完成了钍燃料补充流程——使其成为全球唯一运行的钍反应堆。
“We chose the hardest path, but the right one,” Xu was quoted as saying, referring to the drive for a real-world application rather than a purely academic pursuit.
“我们选择了最艰难的路，但也是正确的路。”徐洪杰如此说道，意指这项技术以实际应用为目标，而非纯学术追求。
A much bigger thorium molten salt reactor is already being built in China and is slated to achieve criticality by 2030. That research reactor is designed to produce 10 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 10,000 homes for a year.
中国已在建设一座更大的钍基熔盐堆，计划2030年实现临界。该研究堆设计发电功率10兆瓦，足以满足1万户家庭一年的用电需求。
China’s state-owned shipbuilding industry has also unveiled a design for thorium powered container ship that could potentially achieve emission-free maritime transport.
中国国有造船业还公布了一款钍动力集装箱船的设计，有望实现零排放海运。
Meanwhile, US efforts to develop a molten salt reactor remain on paper, despite bipartisan congressional support and Department of Energy initiatives.
与此同时，尽管美国国会两党和能源部支持熔盐堆研发，但其进展仍停留在纸面。
Xu said, “in the nuclear game, there are no quick wins. You need to have strategic stamina, focusing on doing just one thing for 20, 30 years.”
徐洪杰表示：“在核能领域，没有速胜。你需要战略定力，专注于一件事20年、30年。”
In addition to thorium reactors, China is on the leading edge of developing nuclear fusion technology (as opposed to current fission technology) that could lead to carbon-free, almost limitless, and clean energy. Fusion is the way sun powers itself and generates 4 times the amount of energy as fission.
除钍反应堆外，中国在核聚变技术（与当前裂变技术相对）开发上也处于前沿。聚变能实现零碳、近乎无限且清洁的能源，其原理与太阳产能相同，能量产出是裂变的4倍。
At the heart of this fusion revolution lies the tokamak, a donut-shaped device designed to contain superheated plasma using powerful magnetic fields. By mimicking the sun’s conditions—where hydrogen atoms fuse into helium—tokamaks enable the release of tremendous amounts of energy.
这场聚变革命的核心是托卡马克装置——一种利用强磁场约束超高温等离子体的环形设备。通过模拟太阳中氢原子聚变为氦的条件，托卡马克能释放巨大能量。
China is at the leading edge in global nuclear fusion development. Most recently, China achieved several key milestones in fusion research, including –
中国在全球核聚变发展中处于领先地位。最近，中国在聚变研究中取得多项关键里程碑，包括：
– Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), dubbed as “artificial sun” in China, has set new record in January 2025. The project is based Hefei and run by the China Academy of Sciences (CAS), the world’s leading scientific research institute.
- 2025年1月，被称为中国“人造太阳”的全超导托卡马克实验装置（EAST）创下新纪录。该项目位于合肥，由全球领先科研机构中国科学院运营。
EAST maintained a high-confinement plasma for 1,066 seconds, surpassing previous world record of 403 seconds – a crucial step towards sustained fusion reactions necessary for practical energy generation.
EAST将高约束等离子体维持了1,066秒，超越此前403秒的世界纪录——这是实现实用化聚变能源所需持续反应的关键一步。
– HL-2M Tokamak, located in Chengdu, is China’s largest and most advanced tokamak. It has achieved first plasma discharge and high plasma parameters, capable of producing plasma temperatures exceeding 200 million degrees Celsius and plasma currents over 2.5 million amperes, essential for efficient fusion reactions.
- 位于成都的HL-2M是中国最大、最先进的托卡马克装置。它已实现首次等离子体放电和高参数运行，可产生超过2亿摄氏度的等离子体温度和250万安培的等离子体电流，这对高效聚变反应至关重要。
– HH70 Tokamak, developed by Shanghai-based private company Energy Singularity, stands out for integrating high temperature superconducting magnets made from REBCO (rare earth barium copper oxide). This cutting edge technology dramatically reduces the size and cost of conventional tokamaks, paving the way for more accessible and commercial fusion energy.
- 上海民营企业能量奇点研发的HH70托卡马克，因采用稀土钡铜氧化物（REBCO）高温超导磁体而脱颖而出。这项尖端技术大幅缩小了传统托卡马克的体积与成本，为更易普及的商业化聚变能源铺路。
Energy Singularity plans to construct a next-gen tokamak by 2027 and a full scale technological demonstrator for fusion nuclear reaction by 2030.
能量奇点计划2027年建成下一代托卡马克，2030年完成聚变核反应全尺寸技术示范堆。
Although commercial viability remains the final frontier, breakthroughs like EAST and HH70 showcase the significant strides towards turning nuclear fusion into a practical energy solution.
尽管商业化仍是最终难关，但EAST和HH70等突破展现了核聚变迈向实用能源的重大进展。
All the noises around tariffs and trade wars aside, technology is ultimately the path to human development and prosperity. Let’s keep our eyes on the ball.
抛开关税与贸易战的喧嚣，技术终将是人类发展与繁荣之路。让我们紧盯真正的目标。
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The lack of interest in thorium reactor research in the USA is probably because of the power of the oil, gas, uranium, and coal industries.
美国对钍反应堆研究缺乏兴趣，很可能是因为石油、天然气、铀和煤炭行业的势力过大。
TG says:
An interesting and intelligent article. However, one major error: “technology is ultimately the path to human development and prosperity.” WRONG.
一篇有趣而智慧的文章，但有个重大错误：“技术终将是人类发展与繁荣之路”——大错特错。
Not that long ago in India, chemical fertilizers and the green revolution etc. created a massive increase food production, beyond the wildest dreams of anyone living as recently as say 1940. If the Indian people had limited themselves to 2 or even 3 kids each, they would have been lifted out of subsistence poverty. They would have HAD to have, as that massive increase in food production was created by existing adults using existing tools and resources, it was a done deal. However, they Indian people had six kids each starting at an early age and burned up all of the fruits of this technology, now they are crushed in subsistence and only averaging about 2 kids each but only because it is now physically impossible for them to have more. Remember: the Malthusian catastrophe is not some science fiction global apocalypse, but “misery and vice” where population growth tracks food production at the level of subsistence (you can’t go any lower, at least not for long). The POTENTIAL of humans to double their population every 20 years or so has, is, and always will, eventually cancel any technological advance.
不久前的印度，化肥和绿色革命等技术使粮食产量激增，远超1940年代人们的想象。如果印度人当时将生育率控制在每户2-3个孩子，他们本可摆脱生存贫困——因为粮食增产是由当时劳动人口用现有工具实现的既定成果。但印度人却从年轻时就开始每户生育6个孩子，耗尽了技术红利，如今只能挣扎在温饱线上，平均生育率降至2孩也仅仅是因为身体极限。记住：马尔萨斯灾难并非科幻式的全球末日，而是人口增长与粮食产量在生存线持平导致的“苦难与堕落”。人类每20年翻番的人口潜力，过去、现在和未来都终将抵消任何技术进步。
The physical standard of living for the average Indian today is substantially inferior to that of late Medi England. 500 years of western scientific and technological progress cancelled just like that. I like technology and I don’t want to go back 500 years, but the main foundation for prosperity is people limiting themselves to a number of children that is reasonable given current circumstances, i.e., not breeding to the physical maximum like rodents.
如今印度普通人的物质生活水平远低于中世纪晚期的英格兰。西方500年的科技进步就这样被抵消了。我热爱技术，也不想倒退500年，但繁荣的根本在于人们根据现实条件合理控制生育数量——而非像啮齿动物那样繁殖到生理极限。
But globalist oligarchs like Elon Musk (‘Joiler Veppers’) want mass poverty, more than anything else, and they have propagandized over and over that people simply MUST breed like cattle (or be replaced if they are so thoughtless as to restring themselves) so Elon Musk and his ilk can get even richer at the expense of the rest of us getting slowly crushed in the mud.
但像埃隆·马斯克（“乔伊勒·维珀斯”）这样的全球主义寡头最渴望大众贫困，他们不断宣扬“人类必须像牲畜一样繁殖”（否则就会被“不思繁衍”的人取代），好让他们能在我们深陷泥沼时变得更富有。
Ernesto Che says:
Another 1st for China, already 200 yards ahead on a 400 yard sprint while the U.S. is still at the starting blocks debating on how to get going.
中国再夺第一，在400码冲刺中已领先200码，而美国还在起跑线上争论如何起步。
littlereddot says:
Thanks, these two developments really are a big deal. They are foundational advances that will impact all industries and all manufacturing and how all of humankind live our lives. The are promising limitless clean energy forever. One will be available imminently, and the other in a matter of decades.
感谢分享，这两项进展确实意义重大。它们是影响所有产业、制造业和人类生活方式的根本性突破，将带来永恒的清洁无限能源。一项即将实现，另一项也只需数十年。
IMHO they are will be even more impactful than China’s EV advances, high speed rail, Chinese space stations etc.
在我看来，它们比中国的电动汽车、高铁和空间站等成就影响更深远。
There is hardly a squeak coming from Western MSM, and consequently none of the MAGA folks seem to even realise that these things are taking place.
西方主流媒体几乎毫无声息，因此MAGA群体似乎根本不知道这些正在发生的事。
Joe Paluka says:
When Trump heard that China was developing a salt based reactor, he decided to impose a Mortons embargo on China and all countries that trade in that commodity with her.
当特朗普听说中国在研发盐基反应堆时，他决定对中国及所有与之贸易的国家实施莫顿盐业禁运。
notbe mk 2 says:
it provides energy independence for the world (especially the Third World)-most of the world’s oil and natural gas comes from US-controlled Saudi Arabia and most of the world’s uranium comes from US-controlled Canada and Australia. Thorium is quite abundant in the Third World.
这将让世界（尤其是第三世界）实现能源独立——全球大部分石油天然气来自美国控制的沙特，铀矿则来自美控加拿大和澳大利亚，而钍在第三世界储量丰富。
Henry Ford says:
The world needs an earth shaking advancement like this. I hope and pray the Chinese don’t fall into the trap white society do when they reach the top and put all their efforts to subjugating the rest of the planet with military means. The world needs a new advance age ! Hopefully China will be different.
世界需要这样的震撼性进步。我祈祷中国登上顶峰后不会像白人社会那样沉迷于用军事手段征服全球。世界需要新的进步时代！希望中国能有所不同。
dogbumbreath says:
Too bad there are so many racists out there thumping their chest proclaiming, “my race is the best race and your race is barbaric”. Imagine what can be accomplished if everybody was simply Human and the smartest humans worked together for the benefit of humanity?
可悲的是太多种族主义者捶胸叫嚣“我的种族最优越，你们的种族是野蛮人”。试想如果所有人都以“人类”自居，让最聪明的人为人类福祉合作，能成就什么？
mulga mumblebrain says:
This CANNOT be true! ONLY White men have brains that can innovate! The ChiComms must have stolen all this!
这绝不可能是真的！只有白人才有创新头脑！中国肯定偷了技术！
Beautiful Evidence says:
I was in graduate school in science in the early 80s and we had several Chinese postdoctoral students with us then. My impression was though they were talented scientists individually, I thought that China would have little chance of catching the research strength of the US. Reading this article has shattered that impression. Science research chases funding so we end up with war profiteering and big Pharma duplicity instead of science that changes the energy/power supply of the world.
80年代初我在理科研究生院时，身边有多位中国博士后。尽管他们个人能力出色，但我当时认为中国难以追赶美国科研实力。这篇文章颠覆了我的认知。科研追逐资金，导致我们只剩战争暴利和制药欺诈，而非改变世界能源格局的科学。
anonymous[145] · Disclaimer says:
20 years ago an Indian weapons scientist was able to completely change America by inventing a better way to produce fentanyl. Relatively small innovations can also change the world.
20年前一位印度武器科学家通过改进芬太尼合成方法彻底改变了美国。相对微小的创新也能改变世界。
KaiserSauze says:
“You need to have strategic stamina, focusing on doing just one thing for 20, 30 years.””
“你需要战略定力，专注于一件事20年、30年。”
The US are run by idiots who come from the corporate world and their “strategies” cover the next quarter or a year at max. No wonder it’s falling down so dramatically.
美国由企业界的蠢货掌管，他们的“战略”最多覆盖下一季度或一年。难怪衰败得如此剧烈。
They also elect puppets like Biden and comedians like Trump to run a large nuclear power.
他们还选举拜登这样的傀儡和特朗普这类小丑来管理核大国。
No wonder we have all these wars, regime changes, GENOCIDEs and calamities.
难怪我们会有这么多战争、政权更迭、种族灭绝和灾难。
Andreas says:
Many of you are like a fish completely unaware of the water within which it is swimming.
你们许多人就像完全意识不到周遭环境的鱼。
Don’t be a statistic, friends.
别成为统计数字，朋友们。
ghali says:
Incredible! Russia and the U.S. have been working on nuclear research for over 50 years, producing top-quality nuclear bombs and thousands of missiles. However, despite their collaboration, they have not made significant advancements in ensuring the safe use of nuclear energy, particularly in terms of environmental impact. In contrast, China has quietly made progress in nuclear technology without boasting about being a nuclear “giant.” China has developed a commercially viable thorium nuclear reactor, which could be part of China’s future energy mix in a relatively short period of time – an achievement that Russia and the U.S. have not accomplished in over 50 years.
难以置信！俄美开展核研究超50年，造出顶级核弹和数千导弹，却未在核能安全利用（尤其环保方面）取得重大进展。而中国默默研发核技术，不吹嘘“核巨头”名号，已开发出商业可行的钍反应堆，短期内即可纳入能源结构——这是俄美半个多世纪都未达成的成就。
Hulkamania says:
The USA had the opportunity to develop nuclear power further, but chose to hamstring energy technology instead, in order to preserve energy monopolies and the hegemony of American oligarchs.
美国本可进一步发展核能，却为维护能源垄断和寡头霸权选择扼杀技术。
The USA was born as a slave state, created by pirates, conmen, and Jews. It may wander slightly from this path from time to time, but it always ends up going back to its default settings before long.
美国生来就是由海盗、骗子和犹太人建立的奴隶制国家。它或会短暂偏离此道，但总会回归本性。
maskazer says:
As a responsible nation with over 5,000 years of history, many of China’s scientific achievements are designed to benefit the broader world on a long-term basis. This stands in contrast to the West, where such advancements have often been used to exert monopolies and control over others—a pattern seen since their rise to dominance.
作为有5000年历史的负责任国家，中国的科技成就多旨在长期惠及世界。这与西方形成鲜明对比——后者自崛起以来就惯用技术进步实施垄断与控制。
For example, we’ve read in the news about Chinese scientists developing a massive nuclear-bomb-type ordnance, but without radioactive fallout. Such an invention could permanently alter the trajectory of bellicose plans by Western warmongers, offering a new approach to global security that prioritizes humanity over destruction.
例如，新闻提到中国科学家正在研发无放射性沉降的“类核弹”武器。这种发明可能永久改变西方好战者的侵略计划，提供一种以人类福祉而非毁灭为先的全球安全新路径。