China on Monday launched an international scientific program aimed at advancing fusion-energy research, unveiling plans for its new compact fusion experiment BEST at a ceremony in Hefei, Anhui province.

The initiative, led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, focuses on key challenges in burning-plasma physics, demonstrating net energy gain, and ultimately showcasing electricity generation from fusion — long seen as the pathway to creating an Earth-based “artificial sun.”

At the event, China released the BEST research roadmap to the global fusion community for the first time. The facility, located in the Future Science City of Hefei, is intended to serve as an international platform to accelerate progress toward commercially viable fusion power.