China's Fusion Reactor on Track for Ignition by 2027, Threatening U.S. Lead

China is working toward a major nuclear fusion milestone that will put it leagues ahead in the global race to unlock the ‘holy grail’ of clean energy. The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is reportedly on track to achieve ignition in 2027, potentially making the tokamak the first nuclear fusion reactor in the world to sustain plasma without external heating sources. This would be a critical milestone toward enabling commercial nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is the process tha