Chapter 463 Reactions from Various Countries

He Yuzhu had just returned from the archives and hadn't even picked up his teacup when Old Sun pushed the door open and came in. A telegram slammed onto the table, its pages scattered.

"The Europeans sent a flurry of congratulatory telegrams. West Germany, France, Britain, Italy. Each one was more eloquent than the last." Old Sun stacked the telegrams and pushed them in front of He Yuzhu. "The Soviet Union didn't say a word. The United States said 'noted,' and that was it."

He Yuzhu flipped through the telegrams. The West German Chancellor's congratulatory telegram was the longest, ending with the sentence, "A new chapter in human space exploration." The French President's telegram ended with an extra handwritten line—"Please convey my respect to the Chinese people."

"What about Japan?"

Old Sun pulled out a faxed photo from under the covers and pushed it in front of He Yuzhu. The photo showed dozens of people standing in front of the Chinese Embassy, ​​holding a banner that read "Japan and China Jointly Develop Space" in Chinese. The leader was an old man wearing glasses and an old suit, with a serious expression, as if he were giving a speech.

"Masao Tanaka, a physics professor at the University of Tokyo. He's quite well-known in Japanese academia," Old Sun said. "He said the Japanese government isn't proactive enough, and the private sector has to take the initiative. The petition has over three hundred signatures. And this—" He pulled out another sheet of paper, "a list of technology cooperation. They want to exchange precision machine tools for our ecological recycling technology."

He Yuzhu stared at the photo for a few seconds. Dozens of faces were crammed into the frame; some were holding flags, others were shouting slogans. Their expressions were unclear, but one could sense their urgency.

"Machine tools are negotiable. We'll only provide one generation of eco-recycling technology, maintaining a two-generation gap."

Old Sun made a note in his notebook. "Should we meet with that Tanaka?"

"I won't see him. Let someone from the embassy talk to him."

He Yuzhu pushed the photo back. Old Sun didn't take it, but pulled out another piece of paper with the Central News Agency's dateline printed on it.

"They're from Taiwan. They're saying our technology was stolen from the US."

He Yuzhu picked up the paper and glanced at it. The title, written in bold, read "China's Space Technology Stolen from the US," and the text, less than three hundred words long, contained no evidence. He crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the trash can. The crumpled paper bounced off the rim of the can before falling in.

Old Sun stared at the trash can. "Not going to respond?"

"I can't even be bothered to curse."

He Yuzhu glanced at the clock on the wall. 9:40. Twenty minutes until the press conference. He grabbed his military overcoat and draped it over his shoulders. Old Sun followed behind, and the two of them walked out of the office one after the other. The corridor lights were on, and He Yuzhu walked quickly, the hem of his overcoat fluttering in the wind.

In the banquet hall of the Beijing Hotel, a microphone sat on the stage. The audience was a sea of ​​heads; in the front row were domestic journalists, notebooks open, pens clutched in their hands. In the back row were foreign journalists, cameras and microphones slung over their shoulders. A few flashes of light illuminated the red cloth on the stage, making it appear white.

He Yuzhu walked up and stood in front of the microphone.

"The Kunlun is 400 meters long and has a takeoff weight of 2,000 tons. It employs an anti-gravity levitation system, high-temperature superconducting technology, quantum communication, and an ecological closed-loop life support system. All core technologies were independently developed by the Chinese."

An AFP reporter raised their hand. "Does the Kunlun have any military applications?"

"No. The Kunlun's mission is scientific exploration. Its targets include the Moon, Mars, and the asteroid belt. We welcome scientists from all countries to participate."

The American journalist stood up, his voice loud, almost shouting. "The Pentagon believes the USS Kunlun can be converted into a weapons platform. What's your response?"

The audience fell silent. All the cameras were pointed at He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu looked at the reporter and waited for two breaths.

"The Pentagon sees everything as a weapon." He paused. "The Kunlun is a research vessel. It has no cannons, no missiles, no lasers. Our astronauts carry seeds, petri dishes, and telescopes. If the Pentagon has evidence, show it. If not, don't waste everyone's time."

The American reporter opened his mouth, as if to say something. He Yuzhu didn't give him the chance, and directly pointed at the Japanese reporter.

The Japanese reporter stood up, speaking haltingly in broken Chinese. "Director He," he asked, "Japanese civic groups have petitioned to participate in the Kunlun project. Will the Chinese side accept?"

"China is willing to carry out international cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. The specific methods of cooperation need to be negotiated by both sides."

The Japanese reporter then asked, "Does the negotiation include technology transfer?"

He Yuzhu glanced at him and remained silent for two seconds. "Including. But what technology is transferred is up to the Chinese side to decide."

The Japanese reporter sat down, opened his notebook, and began writing rapidly.

A Reuters reporter raised his hand and asked a technical question about the launch window. He Yuzhu answered in less than thirty seconds.

A Xinhua News Agency reporter raised his hand. "Director He, is there anything else you'd like to say to the people of China?"

He Yuzhu read aloud the prepared sentence. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

"The Kunlun spacecraft belongs to China. We will firmly uphold the peaceful use of outer space."

Applause erupted from the domestic journalists' section. Some clapped so hard their hands turned red. The foreign journalists' section received only sporadic applause, like raindrops hitting a sheet of metal.

He Yuzhu stepped down from the podium. Old Sun followed behind him, and the two entered the elevator.

The elevator doors closed. Old Sun pressed the button for the first floor.

"The Japanese list includes not only precision machine tools but also electronic components. They want to trade high-precision gyroscopes for our quantum communication ground station technology."

"No replacement. We can build our own gyroscopes. For the quantum communication ground station, we'll only change the materials, not the finished product."

The elevator doors opened. He Yuzhu stepped out.

Several reporters were still squatting in a corner of the hotel lobby smoking. When they saw him come out, they stood up and tried to chase after him. He Yuzhu waved his hand, and they didn't move.

Outside the gate, the early winter wind in Beijing was cold. He stood on the steps, his coat collar turned up, obscuring half his face.

Old Sun caught up from behind and handed over a new telegram. "Director He, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a resolution prohibiting American companies from participating in any cooperative projects related to the Kunlun."

He Yuzhu took the telegram and glanced at it. It was printed in English, with the House of Representatives' letterhead at the top, several paragraphs of "whereas" in the middle, and "resolved" at the end. He folded the telegram twice and stuffed it into his overcoat pocket. The pocket was shallow, leaving only a small edge of the paper sticking out.

He walked down the steps, opened the car door, and got in. The engine started up, and the headlights illuminated the road ahead.

Old Sun stood on the steps, watching the old Jeep drive out of the hotel gate. Its taillights flashed twice in the night, then it turned the corner and disappeared.