An Overview of China’s Nuclear Issues Report prepared in 2001 by Wen Bo www.asienhaus.de/public/archiv/china-nuclear-issues-wen-bo.pdf - 2 von 13 - Development of Nuclear Weapons China’s nuclear researches started in early 1940s by a physicist Lu Hefu of Fudan Universtiy. Shortly after the end of World War II, with the hope of acquiring nuclear bombs, the Nationalist Government, then an American ally, sent several Chinese scientists to America to study nuclear technology. However, US government restricted their access to nuclear institutions. In 1946, the Nationalist government delivered 120,000 US$ to a Chinese scientist Zhao Zhongyao and asked him to purchase equipments for nuclear research. Four years later, these equipments finally made its voyage to China, but only to the hands of the Communist China. By 1953 the Chinese had initiated research leading to the development of nuclear weapons. The decision to develop an independent strategic nuclear force was made no later than early 1956 and was to be implemented within the Twelve-Year Science Plan presented in September 1956 to the Eighth Congress of the China Communist Party. China began developing nuclear weapons in the late 1950s with substantial Soviet assistance. Before 1960 direct Soviet military assistance had included the provision of advisors and a vast variety of equipment. Of the assistance provided, most significant to China's future strategic nuclear capability were an experimental nuclear reactor, facilities for processing uranium, a cyclotron, and some equipment for a gaseous diffusions plant. When Sino-Soviet relations cooled in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Soviet Union withheld plans and data for an atomic bomb, abrogated the agreement on transferring defense technology, and began the withdrawal of Soviet advisers in 1960. Despite the termination of Soviet assistance, China committed itself to continue nuclear weapons development to break "the superpowers' monopoly on nuclear weapons," to ensure Chinese security against the Soviet and United States threats, and to increase Chinese prestige and power internationally. China made remarkable progress in the 1960s in developing nuclear weapons. In a thirty-two-month period, China successfully exploded its first atomic bomb (October 16, 1964), launched its first nuclear missile (October 25, 1966), and detonated its first hydrogen bomb (June 14, 1967). Although the Cultural Revolution disrupted the strategic weapons program less than other scientific and educational sectors in China, there was a slowdown in succeeding years. The successes achieved in nuclear research and experimental design work permitted China to begin series production of nuclear (since 1968) and thermonuclear (since 1974) warheads. One of the objectives of the final series of Chinese nuclear tests was to miniaturize China's nuclear warheads, dropping their weight from 2200 kgs to 700 kgs in order to accommodate the next generation of solid-fueled missile systems. There is considerable uncertainly in published estimates of the size of the Chinese nuclear - 3 von 13 - weapons stockpile. In the late 1980s it was generally held that China was the world's third-largest nuclear power, possessing a small but credible nuclear deterrent force of 225 to 300 nuclear weapons. Nuclear Weapon Tests List Seismic YIELD TEST DATE DELIVERY LAT LONG GOAL REMARKS mb (KT) CHIC 1 16 Oct 64 22 Tower Fission Design Device weighed 1,550 kg CHIC 2 14 Oct 65 35 Airdrop Tu-4 CHIC 1 airdrop CHIC 3 09 May 66 250 Airdrop H-6 TN Development 1st attempt to burn TN fuel CHIC 4 27 Oct 66 12 Missile DF-2 1,290 kg device CHIC 5 28 Dec 66 300 Tower TN Development Two-stage CHIC 6 17 Jun 67 3,300 Airdrop H-6 TN Development 1st full yield TN 2-stage CHIC 7 24 Dec 67 15-25 Airdrop H-6 TN Development Two-stage failure CHIC 8 27 Dec 68 3,000 Airdrop H-6 TN Development First use of plutonium CHIC 9 22 Sep 69 20 Underground -- Purpose unknown CHIC 10 29 Sep 69 3,400 Airdrop H-6 TN Development -- CHIC 11 14 Oct 70 3,000 Airdrop H-6 TN Development -- CHIC 12 18 Nov 71 15 Surface Effects/Diagnostics TN device CHIC 13 07 Jan 72 8-20 Airdrop A-5 Weapons Proof Fission device CHIC 14 17 Mar 72 170 Airdrop -- Probable H-6 27 Jun 73 2000-3000 Airdrop H-6 17 Jun 74 200-1000 Atmospheric 27 Oct 75 5 2-5 Underground 41.40N 88.667E 23 Jan 76 2 Atmospheric 26 Sep 76 10 Atmospheric 17 Oct 76 4.9 10-20 Underground 41.65N 88.66E 17 Nov 76 4000 Atmospheric 41.65N 88.66E 17 Sep 77 over 20 Atmospheric 15 Mar 78 over 20 Atmospheric 14 Oct 78 4.9 20 Shaft 41.45N 88.63E - 4 von 13 - 14 Dec 78 over 20 Atmospheric 13 Sep 79 ?? ?? 05 Oct 82 3-15 Underground 04 May 83 4.4 20-100 Tunnel 06 Oct 83 5.5 20-100 Underground 41.55N 88.76E 03 Oct 84 15-70 Underground 19 Dec 84 5-50 Underground 05 Jun 87 LOW Underground 29 Sep 88 4.7 1-20 Tunnel 41.75N 88.46E Neutron bomb 26 May 90 5.4 15-65 Shaft 41.56N 88.68E 16 Aug 90 6.2 50-200 Shaft 41.56N 81.56E 21 May 92 700-1800 Underground ICBM warhead 25 Sep 92 5.4 1-2 Underground 05 Oct 93 5.8 90 Underground 41.7N 88.6E DF-31 ICBM MIRV warhead 10 Jun 94 5.7 Underground 41.64N 88.86E DF-31 ICBM MIRV warhead? 07 Oct 94 41.55N 89.07E 15 May 95 5.7 Underground 41.63N 88.87E DF-31 ICBM MIRV warhead? 17 Aug 95 5.5 Underground 41.60N 88.86E 08 Jun 96 5.7 Underground 41.65N 88.76E DF-31 ICBM MIRV warhead? 29 Jul 96 4.7 Underground 41.69N 88.35E Source: Federation of American Scientists Ranges of Chinese nuclear submarine-launched ballistic missiles Source: Wen Huia Daily, August 27, 2001 - 5 von 13 - Nuclear Submarine China currently has several working ballistic missile submarines. The Daqingyu (Xia) class nuclear submarine is likely based at North Sea Naval Fleet in Qingdao. It was reported that China has 12 Julang–1 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) deployed. And the new Type 094 nuclear submarine is expected to be in service by 2005 and carries 16 Julang-2 missiles. In late August 2001, China simultaneously launched Juland-21A from three nuclear submarines in the South, East and Yellow Seas and hit the target 5000 km away. Nuclear Policy China pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. China's nuclear force is under the direct command of the Central Military Commission (CMC). And the possession of nuclear weapons is for self-defense. China undertakes not to be the first to use nuclear weapons, and not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states. China does not participate in any nuclear arms race, and never deploys any nuclear weapons beyond its borders. China maintains a small but effective nuclear counterattacking force in order to deter possible nuclear attacks by other countries. Any such attack will inevitably result in a retaliatory nuclear counterstrike by China. China has always kept the number of its nuclear weapons at a low level. The scale, composition and development of China's nuclear force are in line with China's military strategy of active defense. -"China's National Defense in 2000" The Information Office of the State Council, October 16, 2000. Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament China advocates the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons. Upon its possession of nuclear weapons, China declared that it would not be the first to use such weapons. Later, China undertook not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states. In May 2000, China, together with US, Russia, Britain and France, issued a joint statement declaring that their nuclear weapons are not targeted at any country. China supports the efforts of the countries concerned to establish nuclear-weapon-free zones on a voluntary basis, and has undertaken to provide both positive and negative security assurances to non-nuclear-weapon states and nuclear-weapon-free zones. In July 1999, China reached an agreement with ASEAN on the text of the Protocol to the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty and became the first among the five nuclear-weapon states to commit itself to signing the Protocol once its revised text is open for signature. - 6 von 13 - China also supports all efforts to consolidate and strengthen the international mechanism of nuclear non-proliferation, and has faithfully fulfilled its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). In December 1998, China signed with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the Additional Protocol aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of the IAEA safeguard system, undertaking to report to the IAEA China's nuclear cooperation with non-nuclear-weapon states. The CTBT is an important milestone in the process of international nuclear disarmament. As one of the first countries to sign the CTBT, China has been actively participating in the work of the Preparatory Commission of the Treaty Organization, and earnestly carrying out preparatory work for the implementation of the Treaty in China. Though such negative developments in the past two years as the nuclear tests in India and Pakistan and the US Senate's refusal to ratify the CTBT, China is still committed to the early ratification of the Treaty, Now, the Chinese government has already completed the necessary preparations and formally submitted the Treaty to the NPC for review and ratification.