Do you remember when we were children, how we always begged our parents to buy those colorful balloons? The joy back then was simple and pure. However, few people would ponder where the "invisible wings" that make balloons float—helium—come from.

In recent years, the once common helium balloons have seen their prices soar, with some even using terms like "liquid gold." Behind this is the harsh reality of a global helium supply shortage, and China, as a major consumer of helium worldwide, is caught up in this "suffocating" trend.

Numbers don't lie: China requires approximately 4,000 tons of helium annually, but alarmingly, as much as 95% of it relies on imports. What's more choking is that our main source of import happens to be the United States, which has always regarded us as a "fictional enemy." This means that the "lifeline" of China's helium industry is firmly in the hands of the United States.

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The "Invisible Wings" Supporting Technological Leaps

Some might wonder, is it really that serious over just a gas? In fact, helium is far from ordinary. It possesses many unique physical and chemical properties, making it indispensable in various fields.

Helium is a noble gas, which means it hardly reacts with any substances, making it an essential protective gas in many high-precision industrial production processes. For instance, when manufacturing high-end chips, optical fibers, and other products, helium is used to isolate oxygen and other impurities to ensure product quality and performance.

Moreover, helium has an extremely low boiling point of -268.9 degrees Celsius, the lowest of all elements. This characteristic makes helium the "king" of low-temperature fields.

More importantly, helium plays a crucial role in aerospace, national defense technology, and other areas.

During rocket launches, liquid helium is needed to cool the engines and as a pressurizing agent for the fuel. In addition, helium is used in the manufacture of high-tech military aircraft, submarines, and other advanced weaponry.It is not difficult to see that helium has permeated every corner of modern technology, becoming the "invisible wings" that support the leap of technology. China, as a rapidly developing country, will only have an increasing demand for helium.

The dual challenges of resource scarcity and technological bottlenecks

However, reality has given us a wake-up call. Although China is vast and rich in resources, it is "inherently insufficient" in terms of helium resources.

China's helium resource reserves are relatively low. According to the proven reserve data, China's helium resources only account for about 2% of the global total, far below the United States, Russia, and other countries rich in helium resources.

At the same time, the extraction of China's helium resources is more difficult. Most helium resources are associated with natural gas, and the content of helium in China's natural gas is generally low, with high extraction costs.

What's more worrying is that China is relatively backward in the exploration and extraction technology of helium resources. For a long time, due to insufficient recognition of the strategic position of helium resources, the investment in related fields is insufficient, and the technical level is difficult to keep up with the international advanced level.

In contrast, the United States began the development and utilization of helium resources as early as the early 20th century and has accumulated rich experience and technology.

They not only have the world's largest helium reserves but also master the world's leading helium extraction and purification technology, which gives the United States absolute say in the global helium market.

If we want to get rid of our dependence on American helium, we must face the dual challenges of resource scarcity and technological bottlenecks.Taking Multiple Measures to Create a New Pattern of Helium Supply

Faced with a severe situation, China has not been passive. In recent years, we have learned from our mistakes and started to implement a series of strategic measures to break the "gas shortage" dilemma.

In 2023, China officially included helium in the list of strategic resources, alongside rare earths, oil and other important resources, sending a strong signal: helium is related to national strategic security and must be firmly in our own hands.

To stimulate the enthusiasm of enterprises to participate in the helium industry, the government has also introduced a series of "real money" support policies. For example, enterprises engaged in helium resource exploration, mining and purification are given tax reductions, financial subsidies and other preferences; enterprises using helium recovery technology are provided with financial support and policy rewards.

And our country knows that to get rid of the "neck pinching" dilemma, we must take the path of independent innovation. In recent years, Chinese scientific researchers have made a series of important breakthroughs in key technical fields such as helium extraction and purification.

At the end of 2022, Chinese scientific researchers successfully extracted 99.999% high-purity helium from coal gas, breaking the foreign technology monopoly, marking that China has reached the international advanced level in the field of helium extraction technology.

In addition, China is also actively carrying out international cooperation to seek diversified helium supply channels. For example, China National Petroleum Corporation has carried out helium resource cooperative exploration projects in Russia, Central Asia and other countries, and signed helium import agreements with Qatar, Australia and other countries to reduce dependence on the US market.

The author believes that from "suffocation" to "breathing", China's helium industry is undergoing a phoenix-like transformation. Although the road is tortuous, China has already sounded the horn to attack the "neck pinching" problem of helium resources.It is foreseeable that with the strong support of national policies, the continuous efforts of scientific researchers, and the active participation of enterprises, China's helium industry will surely break through technical bottlenecks and achieve leapfrog development, providing a solid guarantee for China's scientific and technological progress and economic growth.

Of course, we must also be keenly aware that the development of China's helium industry still faces many challenges.

The exploration and development of helium resources require large investments, long cycles, and high risks, which necessitates the government to continue to increase policy support; the research and application of helium-related technologies are still in their infancy, and there is a need to strengthen talent cultivation and technology introduction; the international helium market is highly competitive, and Chinese enterprises need to continuously improve their competitiveness.

"The road ahead is long and has no ending; yet high and low I'll search with my will unbending."