Concerning the possibility that China will quietly pursue LENR technology with the help of Rossi's knowledge transfer and then break out all of a sudden, this is something to think about. Doing this could give them an edge over western countries, where entrenched interests are threatened by LENR and have prevented governments from funding basic research. Consider:
- LENR devices are likely to be manufactured in China and other developing countries under any scenario, where the labor is cheaper, even if the designs end up being done in London, California, Massachusetts, Toronto, etc. Supply chains are mostly multinational these days and generally lead back to manufacturing centers in Asia. - It is possible for the same countries that provide the primary manufacturing centers to also start to eat away at the design -- recall Haier today, an emerging leader in the appliances space, as well as Toyota, Mitsubishi, Sony, Hyundai, etc., during a previous generation. The Asian car and electronics companies became dominant, the German manufacturers held on to the high end, and the American manufacturers fell into hard times. Americans these days will by a Japanese or Korean car without giving the matter a second thought. These cars are considered high quality and cutting edge. Although certain types of knowledge transfer very quickly these days, other kinds transfer more slowly. Building out a capital intensive industrial operation requires people with specific experience, possibly generations of trial and error and refinement, and local governments that are supportive. Even building out a specific kind of economic sector, whether it is capital intensive or not, is an undertaking. This is why Silicon Valley still has a little bit of an edge (although this is no doubt slipping away). So the likely outcome of a silent race ahead by China in the LENR space seems to be somewhere between inconsequential, on one hand, because consumers all over the world will speak with their pocketbooks; and dire, on the other, because nobody else will be able to catch up. Instead it's likely to give the Chinese a valuable lead, similar to the one they are gaining in the green technology space right now. Eric
