China signs MoU for the XFEL: “… great importance of the XFEL beyond European boundaries”.

In the front: Beatrix Vierkorn-Rudolph (BMBF), Yanhe Ma, Shuguang Meng.
Behind: Albrecht Wagner, Massimo Altarelli, Yong Huong, Alexander Kurz (GSI), Hermann Schunck (ISC), Christian Scherf.

Within the framework of the meeting of the International XFEL Steering Committee (ISC) in Berlin, yesterday two representatives of the People’s Republic of Chinas's Ministry of Science and Technology signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the European X-ray laser project XFEL. “China’s plan to participate in the preparations for the construction and operation of the X-ray laser demonstrates the great importance of the XFEL beyond European boundaries,” declared DESY Director Albrecht Wagner.

Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland had already signed. Together with the Netherlands, Slovakia and the European Union, which are present as observers, they form the XFEL-ISC. This committee is currently preparing the foundation of a European XFEL research center.