What is changesite?
 
Changesite – (Y) is a new mineral name approved by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) and its Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) for the discovery by the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology from the lunar soil brought back by the Chang'e 5 explorer. The chemical formula for Changesite – (Y) is (Ca8Y)□Fe2+(PO4)7 where Y is yttrium,  the □ means vacancy which typically exists in crystals with a density less then 1 in 1000. Interestingly, the naming of this lunar crystal (嫦娥石Chinese name) was initially proposed as changeite, a customery name for minerals, for example, zeolite [ n+M1/n(AlO2)-(SiO2)x:yH20 where M is metal or H] or sodalite [Na8(Al6Si6O24)Cl2]. However, there is already a yellowish monoclinic crystal named changoite, foemula, Na2Zn(SiO4)2-4H2O), hence changeite was rejected by the IMA and CNMNC and later replaced with changesite, for the sixth mineral discovered on the moon. Changesite is a very tiny colorless transparent columnar crystal about 1/10th of human hair discovered from basalt rocks, fine grained extrusive ignicious rock formed by rapid cooling of low viscosity lava or magma. Basalt is commonly found on Mars and Venus spread over thousands of square kilometers as well as on the moon.
 
What is the significance of changesite and He3?
 
Of course, as a newly discovered crystal in the lunar soil, chanesite-(Y) has its significant meaning even though many of its physical properties have not been published yet. However, one scientific news related to changesite has raised the attention of the international scientific community is that the hydrogen isotope He3, a potential clean energy source, has been found with changesite (or contained in or with changesite) allowing the concentration of He3 to be estimated by the Chinese geology researchers.Thus more importantly the concentration of He3 in the lunar soil on the moon surface can be estimated. (He3 was discovered since Apollo 17.) He3 has been regarded as the clean source of powerful nuclear energy released from fusion process. Sun is the shining example of fusion energy; at extreme high pressure and temperature, atoms travel fast enough to fuse together releasing enormous amount of energy. On Earth, humans are facing the shortage of energy, fossil fuel even coal are being depleted and worse creating pollution and causing devastating climate change. Nuclear energy both fission and fusion energy have been explored to supply the humans' energy needs. Fission energy is not ideal coming with radiation side effects (source material as well as spent fuel). Fusion energy may be a clean energy if He3 is used as the fuel. 
 
Clean and Safe Fusion Energy Using He3 and Deuterium   
 
Man-made fusion energy experiment with deuterium and tritium is facing several challenges: 1. How to creat the high pressure and high temperature burning plasma (fusion chamber); 2. Safe materials and devices withstanding the fusion condition; 3. How to safely deal with the released radiation particle (neutron) contaminating the environment (apparatus); and 4. Where to find fusion fuel that is relatively easy to produce, store, and fuse. Deuterium and tritium are isotopes of hydrogen or protium (proton and electron), one has one additional neutron and the other two, their ion masses are heavier than protium. When deuterium and tritium fuse, they create a helium nucleus (two protons and two neutrons). The reaction releases an energetic neutron for generating electricity. Even though deuterium is common (~1/5000 hydrogen atoms in sea water, one gallon of sea water may produce energy equivalent to 300 gallons of gasoline) but tritium is radioactive with a half-life about 12 years thus rare in nature. (However, tritium can be generated by neutron enriched lithium). All the above problems may be lessened by using deuterium and He3 as fuel for fusion energy since they release energy (normal helium and a proton) without releasing the damaging neutrons.
 
Mining He3 from the Moon for abundant clean fuel
 
He3 is rare or non-existent on Earth. It is a by-product of the maintainence of nuclear weapons netting around 15kg/yr. However, He3 is emitted by the Sun (fusion) travelling with the solar wind. Earth's atmosphere prevents (protection) He3 to arrive on Earth but the moon with no atmosphere may welcome the He3 to its surface absorbed by the lunar soil. (reference: Jeffe Bonde and Anthony Tortorello) The discovery of He3 along with changesite-(Y) also may provide another possible explanation that He3 was released from inner body of the moon through volcanic actions since changesite is likely formed that way. If the Chinese researchers have figured out the concentration of He3 in the lunar soil on the moon surface, it will be a tremendous impetus for countries and corporations to focus on mining He3 from the moon and anticipating perfection of the He3-Deuterium fusion technology. One estimate stated that 25 metric tons of He3, filled in ¼ of SpaceX starship cargo space, can power U.S. energy consumption for one year. On a Feb. 16, 2021 press release, we find that   
U.S. Nuclear Corp and Solar System Resource Corp have signed a letter of intent that SSR will provide 500kg of He3 from the moon to UNC in 2028-2032, a very intrigue announcement before changesite and He3 discovery news was reported on September 9, 2022. Of course, we should not be surprised that there might be more secrets connected to the moon exploration.
 
What will happen in the future?
 
As we know the U.S. has begun to explore the moon again through NASA's Artemis program, a robotic and human Moon exploration, approved by Donald Trump in 2017 and supported by Biden with three partners ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan) and CSA (Canada). (21 countries have signed the Artemis Accord) The program's long-term goal is to establish a permanent base camp on the Moon and facilitate human mission to Mars. The launch of Artemis 1 has been delayed and currently scheduled between Nov. 12 and 27 following later with Artemis 2, 3, 4 (2024, 2025, 2027) and yearly mission after 2027. China's Chang'e 6 will be a sample return mission, chang'e 7, orbiter, lander, rover and water mission with possible launch before Chang'e 6. Chang'e 8 is for testing technology for constructing lunar base. After 2030 a crewed human landing with Russian is planned.  
 
It is rather unfortunate that the U.S. space program has excluded China for political reason. Security consideration was a phony excuse. Only hostility breeds security concerns. At this point, China single handedly caught up with space research and exploration. It is so obvious that from mankind's point of view, humans must cooperate in space exploration before Earth is over-spent in resources. Just from He3 fusion energy perspective alone, the U.S. and China should be working as partners rather than hostile competitors. Doesn't it make sense?!




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The current world situation is tense. The Russian-Ukrainian war has lasted beyond six months. The war is tragic and cruel. The scattered Ukraine refugees not only affects the whole of Europe but also stresses the global economy, especially with food and energy shortage and world-wide inflation. NATO and EU member states led by the U.S. not only avoided cease fire talks but instead encouraged a protracted war, expecting Ukraine to counterattack and expand the war to Crimea and even into Russia. At the same time, the U.S.-China confrontation has also risen from a trade war to an all-out sanction from technology to finance. What's more, the U.S. has the intention of replicating the Russian-Ukrainian war model in the Taiwan Strait. The U.S. also tried to stimulate a diplomatic (and military if possible) alliance against China by wavering her stand on the One China Principle and selling weapons to Taiwan.
 
The latest Pelosi's visit to Taiwan further trampled on China's red line, causing China to draw its sword, executing a series of live-fire military exercises to demonstrate her ability to completely surround the entire Taiwan island with air and sea power. China used the opportunity to train the PLA's preparations for future military operations in the Taiwan Strait, and created a fait accompli that allowed the PLA to cross the Strait’s center line and reach the entire island at will. Challenging Mainland China’s redline by the U.S. and Taiwan has made the 1.4 billion Chinese people raging and raising their voice of reunification with Taiwan by force. The U.S. Republican lawmakers also followed Pelosi to visit Taiwan to gain anti-China popularity or to gain votes for the coming November election (or simply to attack Biden and Pelosi) have further heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, former U.S. Secretary of State Kissinger and many U.S. think tank analysts have made statements worrying and warning that the situation in the Taiwan Strait is too dangerous, possibly leading to a third world war and a disastrous situation for Taiwan. However, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan chose to cover up the true significance of the PLA's live-fire military exercises by whitewashing peace, reporting fake news, and misleading the public. It is incredible that the DPP is placing the lives and properties of 23 million people on a sure losing bet.
 
At this dangerous juncture, how should the US, China and Taiwan handle this dangerous situation then? Many international political commentators have indicated that the U.S. is the initiator who should solve the problem. However, both political parties in the U.S. now rely on blaming China for excuses for government dysfunction. Populism (on anti-China) has become the medicine for the ills of the U.S. The decades of influence and control of Taiwan politics by the U.S. have turned Taiwan into a pro-US state. ‘Holding the thigh of the U.S. for security and dancing with the U.S. China policy’ are two phrases used by overseas Chinese to describe The Taiwan government, making most Chinese Americans embarrassed uneasy. Taiwan actually would disregard its own interests to participate in the rebuild of the U.S. semiconductor industry by suppressing and sanctioning the mainland chip business. This kind of behavior is just as irrational as the behavior of suicide bombers.
 
It is no wonder that Prime Minister Lee of Singapore would issue a warning to his citizens. Judging from the current situation, the U.S. and Taiwan are both in a sleep-walk state as some political analysts stated. Thus, Mainland China must take clear and fast measures to wake up the people of Taiwan and quickly overturn the ignorant policies of the DPP and KMT to resolve the cross-strait reunification issue. The author believes that the Mainland China must employ the modern network information technology backed with advanced military power to create a rapid peaceful democratic reunification process, in the shortest time possible, to achieve information dissemination, to conduct psychological education, to make accurate survey studies, to identify and eradicate traitors (pro-independence), and to rally citizens to complete the reunification. How can this be done with information technology? The author believes that a two-dimensional identification code solution - a education website with survey application and reunification promotion) can do the job. This peaceful reunification model is explained as follows:
 
The Taiwan Affairs Office of the Mainland China shall immediately develop and launch an official plan for carrying out a democratic peaceful reunification process (establishing an educational information website to survey and organize the citizens to achieve reunification). The major elements are as follows:
 
1. The Mainland China launches a QR code application (2D identification code) for democratic peaceful reunification for Taiwan compatriots (anyone above 16 years old). Every Taiwan compatriot is encouraged to use his or her mobile phone to scan the 2D code to register or download from a computer. The registrant can get 20 yuan (RMB) as a remuneration for registration (registration to watch information and commercial advertisements and engage in surveys and win awards).

2. The significance of democratic reunification (1c2s, one country two systems) and the summary of reunification process explained. After the registrant read and answered the questions, those with passing score would receive a 30 yuan shopping coupon. Follow-up educational information dissemination will be carried out with merchant shopping reward coupons to encourage citizens to partake and complete the psychological education for reunification. This educational program can be handled at different times and levels with a mandate of completion in six to eighteen months to ultimately achieve the goal of reunification.

3. Broadcast and Referral of This QR Code App to Other Taiwan compatriots. After a referral registration is confirmed, one would receive a 5-yuan reward deducted from the new registrant's initial remuneration of 20 yuan. An additional 10-yuan merchandise shopping coupon would also be issued to the recruiter.

4. Statistical survey and promotion of democratic reunification. The Taiwan Affairs Office proposes a plan and timetable for democratic reunification. Participants in the survey can get a shopping coupon (for example 500 RMB towards buying an electric car), sponsored by different advertisers. Such surveys can be held periodically and progressively to build consensus on reunification. The survey results with increasing number of participants are published to anticipate the completion of a successful survey (reunification) within two years.

5. Statistics of peaceful democratic reunification guarantees smooth unification in Taiwan. The Taiwan Affairs Office selects a time-table to complete the survey along with a back-up plan to eliminate stubborn anti-China elements in Taiwan so that an ultimate peaceful democratic reunification can be achieved. Anyone who is opposed to reunification can elect to leave Taiwan or to receive legal settlement after reunification. For precaution, this unified plan will include a military operation to handle any violent opposition to reunification. The results of the surveys will lead to a peaceful democratic reunification and the military action will eliminate any resistance if ever happens.
 
The above proposal is based on the principle of achieving a peaceful democratic reunification between Mainland and Taiwan. The educational process through a democratic survey should guarantee a successful peaceful reunification. The Taiwan Strait separation is a domestic issue for China. Based on historical, political and economic reasons, Mainland and Taiwan should be ultimately reunified. Hence adopting a peaceful democratic reunification plan is logical. Unfortunately, there exists some external influence and some internal resistance, hence a back-up military plan is necessary. Taiwan recently proposed a so-called 'data technology' budget, with the purpose of expanding its cyber army to influence elections. From the point of view of overseas Chinese, especially American Chinese, on international affairs, it is unrealistic to expect the U.S. to change its foreign policy toward China nor the current DPP party in Taiwan to reverse its independence plot. Delaying action in reunification will be detrimental and disadvantageous to China, Taiwan and their citizens. Therefore, China must adopt a rapid peaceful democratic reunification plan with back-up military forces to deal with the cross-strait reunification issue.
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Ifay Chang. Ph.D., Inventor, Author, TV Game Show Host and Columnist (www.us-chinaforum.org) as well as serving as Trustee, Somers Central School District.
 

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Competition is not a dirty word. Human beings have always been in competition with nature, environment and themselves. We may generally label this type of competition as 'Competition under Darwinism', somewhat following the principles of Darwinism – that is all living species including human beings will compete for survival, competing for natural resources with their natural abilities. As humans forming societies and creating nations, they compete in organized groups, we may generally label this type of competition as 'Competition under Nationalism', somewhat driven by nationalistic spirit or principles. All nations will compete with their resources for resources. History have shown us ample examples which have been called imperialism if the competition evolved into aggression and war. Historians and political scientists have singled out repetitive examples and given them descriptive terms such as 'Thucydides Trap' theory (coined by Prof. Graham Allison of Harvard University) derived from the Greek Spartan war and 'hegemony' theory (coined by Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci in the 1930s and theorized it by Prof. John Mearsheimer of Chicago University in terms of compeition between rising powers).
 
The competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union created the “Cold War” lasting more than four decades eventually ended in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Fortunately, a nuclear war was avoided so that the human race was not totally destroyed. However, inevitably competition remains among nations, since nuclear proliferation was never completely successful. Seemingly following the above hegemony and Thucydides Trap theories, three decades later we have seen the rise of China, perceived as a threat by the U.S. and a few of her allies. Today, in fact, the U.S. and China are in competition in many ways fiercer than the Cold War era. One can look at the competition from military and economic point of views. The current U.S. Administration seems to mix the two into one national competition even though rational thinking should not only separate them but also examine the details to differentiate the competition into (I) cooperative competition to expect win-win result for mutual benefits and (II) calculated competition to expect manageable competition for avoiding mutual destruction.
 
Firstly, let's look at the military competition. Over all technologies have been advanced so much throughout the world with mostly U.S. leadership in the past three decades. The technological advances in precision manufacturing, communication and space have made the conventional wars very different exhibiting unique characteristics in addition to more advanced nuclear threat and defense arsenal. The unique characteristics of modern wars are:

1. Premeditated rapidly executed war supported by long range advanced arsenals.

 including missiles, airplanes and battle ships.
  2. Advanced information gathering and support in terms of cyber war and satellite and other remote surveillance technologies.
    3. Media war and economic sanctions targeting at the warring party.         

Even though China has not engaged in or initiated as many wars as the U.S. has, China has come a long way in her military capabilities in terms of the above three charateristics features of a modern war. Tracing the history, we do find that China's advance was largely triggered by the U.S. sanction policy against China. Hence, China has exhibited impressive advances in missiles (supersonic and guidance), network technologies (5G communication), and space (satellie and space station) are very much forced out by the U.S. policies.
 
Secondly, China is striving to develop her economy with her GDP approaching 80% of that of the U.S. This competition should be treated as a cooperative competition to derive mutual benefits. However, the U.S. enjoying the biggest economy in the world for so long she neglected to do a careful planning in economic development in consideration with other economies. China, on the other hand, rigorously maintains her 5-year economic plan (process) to charter her development. As a result, China has become not only a world manufacturer but also a number one trading partner with over 130 countries. Instead of pursuing a cooperative competition strategy to find complimentary and mutually beneficial domains to focus on, the U.S. chose to cut China off her economic chain. The current policy of cutting China off the world semiconductor industry came out of this strategy. However, this policy might just force China to develop a self-sufficient semiconductor industry. More over, the U.S. China policy seeems to be driven by ideological sentiments fanned by politicians rather than rational debate by U.S.  China scholars. When the U.S. discovered that her biomedical industry had a dependency on China manufacturers (for example, >50% antibioltics are imported from China), the Administration launched a bio-industty sanction policy. In fact, China has a huge need in medical and healthcare products and services because of her large aging population. Why wouldn't the U.S. explore a cooperative competition in bio-medical industry?
 
Speaking about population, the author would point out a fundamental economic principle, that is population can be an advantage or liability depending very much on the characteristics of the population such as age, attitude, culture, education, growth, health, knowledge, skills, etc. Under a democratic and humanistic philosophy, one must treat every human being as equal with basic human rights (living and self-developing rights) and as free with opportunity to pursue economic development via competition. Therefore, we should examine the U.S. - China competition from the consideration of population. Hopefully, we can derive a rational analysis and thinking about U.S.-China competition. Nicholas Eberstadt and Evan Abramsky published a paper in Foreign Affairs (9-20-2022) entitled, America’s Education Crisis Is a National Security Threat - How a Smarter World Is Changing the Balance of Power. The main message of this article is to warn the U.S. government that the shrinking percentage of youth having tertiary degree is a national threat. They pointed out in the past 70 years, “the U.S. was the uncontested education superpower; Americans enjoyed the world’s highest levels of educational attainment and accounted for far more of the world’s highly educated workforce than any other country. But that epoch is now history.” From 1977-1993, the U.S. showed almost no growth of population of age 25-29 with bachelor's degree. Such a growth resumed after 1993 but still slower than the decade of 1967-1977.
 
The following two pieces of data focused on five largest countries or economies (China, India, U.S. Japan and Russia) extracted from the above essay not only can explain the rise of China and the slowing down of the U.S. primary productive force (age 25-64 with tertiary degree) but also provide an important indicator for national planners to develop a rational analysis of the U.S. - China competition:

   1. Year 2000 (20.5 – 25 – 42.5 – 16 - 9M) – Year 2020 (48 – 34 – 58 – 17 - 12.5M) – Year 2040 (125 – 68 – 59.5 – 16.5 – 13.5M). Millions of 25-64 with BS/A degree of the five economies (C-I-US-J-R) from year 2000 projected to year 2040.

   2. Year 2000 (9 – 12.5 – 19.5 – 7 - 4%) - Year 2020 (13.5 – 8.9 – 16.2 – 4.4 - 2.7%) - Year 2040 (21.2 – 11.3 – 10 – 2.8 -2%). Percentage of 25-64 with bachelor degree of the five economies (C-I-US-J-R) in terms of the world population from year 2000 projected to year 2040.

If the above projection were accurate, the U.S. must accept the fact that the productive force in China will be more than two times of that in the U.S. in 2040 (125M : 59.5M) and China's work force is greater than 21% of the world population in 2040 (U.S. only 10%). Then it can be expected that China's GDP will surpass that of the U.S. way before 2040, most likely in a few years. Therefore, in a rational thinking, the U.S. has no choice but adopt a cooperative competition model based on each's strength and needs to pursue mutual benefits of elevating per capita GDP (GDPPP) growth since China will lead in the absolute GDP figure.   


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