TL: CHINA'S NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND TESTING PROGRAM SO: Josh Handler, Greenpeace International (GP) DT: March, 1996 Keywords: environment nuclear weapons military testing agreements politics conferences / Briefing Paper March 1996 China has used its 43 nuclear tests since 1964 to develop the world's fourth largest nuclear weapons arsenal (only the UK's is smaller). It includes approximately 450 nuclear weapons of at least five different types, made up of around 300 strategic weapons that could be fired from land, air and from submarines and around 150 tactical weapons made up of artillery shells and atomic demolition munitions. Together they have a cumulative yield of over 251 megatons or over 17 000 Hiroshima bombs. China conducted two nuclear tests in 1995, one on 15th May and the other on 17th August. Although many observers expected a further two tests last autumn, China declined to carry out any further tests while the world-wide condemnation of France's nuclear testing program was at its height. CURRENT POLICY ON COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY (CTBT) China has said it will abide by a nuclear test ban but probably only when it enters in force (some time after the actual signing). When the current round of negotiations on a CTBT commenced in Geneva on January 23rd China presented a major obstacle to an agreement on a test ban by continuing to insist on the right to conduct so called Peaceful Nuclear Explosions (PNEs). Such explosions could be used to collect data for nuclear weapons development, would be impossible to verify, and would cause widespread environmental destruction. The US, UK and France are proposing a ban on all nuclear tests, the so called "zero yield" test ban. Furthermore, China has stated its intention to carry out between four and six more nuclear tests before implementing a test ban. These tests are central to the development of new nuclear weapons systems. Last year's test on May 15th was three days after the end of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review & Extension Conference, where along with other nuclear weapons states China committed itself to work towards nuclear disarmament. CHINA'S TESTING PROGRAM Testing takes place at the Lop Nor site, approximately 265 kilometers south-east of Urumqi in the Xinjian region (due west of Beijing, due north of Kathmandu). The Xinjian region is home to the Uighur people, and China has never allowed any form of independent or outside assessment of the environmental or health impacts of its nuclear testing program. Since testing began in 1964, China has conducted one test on average every 284 days. China's current testing program is thought to involve warheads for two new missile systems, one for deployment in the late 1990s, and one around 2010. The latter may carry several warheads. China is also developing a new sea-launched ballistic missile (JL-2) for deployment on its second generation strategic nuclear-powered submarine. In May 1995 China tested a new ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers. The chief design laboratory for Chinese nuclear weapons is the Ninth Academy at Mianyang (Sichuan) or the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP). Plutonium production for weapons purposes, which has taken place at two reactors, in Jiuquan (Gansu) and Guangyuan (Sichuan), reportedly ceased in 1991. However a new plutonium facility is scheduled to open in the mid-1990s. RADIOACTIVITY AND LOP NOR A 1991 book, "Radioactive Heaven and Earth," released by International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) has given the following amounts of radioactivity as having been released from Lop Nor. The total amount of plutonium-239 released to the atmosphere as a result of the 23 atmospheric nuclear tests is estimated at 3,300 curies, approximately 48 kilograms in weight. One millionth of a gram of plutonium-239, if inhaled can cause cancer. The amount of plutonium-239 still contained within the Lop Nor site as a result of underground nuclear testing is estimated by IPPNW as 1,800 curies (25 kilograms). A further 2 million curies of caesium-137 and 1.3 million curies of strontium-90 have also been released into the atmosphere. The radioactive half-life of these materials are 30 and 29 years respectively. Caesium-137 concentrates in muscle tissue, but normally passes out of the body in 2 years. Strontium-90, however, attaches to the bones and thus stays in the body giving radiation doses over a longer period of time. The above figures are exclusive of the shorter lived fission products, such as iodine-131, which has a radioactive half-life of 8 days, which would have also been released. CHINESE NUCLEAR TESTS: 1964-1995 The Chinese nuclear test site is at Lop Nor in the western province of Xin Jiang. Since the first test there on 16 October 1964, China has exploded 43 nuclear bombs: 23 in the atmosphere (ceased in 1980); 20 underground (since 1969) plus 3 unverified seismic events suspected to have been nuclear explosions. China's last atmospheric test was on 16 October 1980 [Data from news accounts and Robert S. Norris, Andrew Burrows, Richard Fieldhouse, "Nuclear Weapons Databook, Vol. 5, British, French and Chinese Nuclear Weapons" (Ballinger, 1994)]. dd/mm/yy Type Yield 16/10/64 atmospheric 22 kilotons (kt) 14/05/65 atmospheric 35 kt 09/05/66 atmospheric 250 kt 27/10/66 atmospheric 12 kt 28/12/66 atmospheric 122 kt 17/06/67 atmospheric 3,300 kt (first H-bomb) 24/12/67 atmospheric 15-25 kt 27/12/68 atmospheric 3,000 kt 23/09/69 underground 20 kt 29/09/69 atmospheric 3,000 kt 14/10/70 atmospheric 3,400 kt 18/11/71 atmospheric 15 kt 07/01/72 atmospheric 8 kt 18/03/72 atmospheric 170 kt 27/06/73 atmospheric 2,000-3,000 kt 17/06/74 atmospheric 200-1,000 kt 27/10/75 underground <10 kt 23/01/76 atmospheric <20 kt 26/09/76 atmospheric 200 kt 17/10/76 underground 10-20 kt 17/11/76 atmospheric 4,000 kt 17/09/77 atmospheric <20 kt 15/03/78 atmospheric 6-20 kt 14/10/78 underground <20 kt 14/12/78 atmospheric <20 kt 13/09/79 atmospheric size unknown 16/10/80 atmospheric 200 - 1,000 kt 05/10/82 underground 3-15 kt 04/05/83 underground size unknown 06/10/83 underground 20-100 kt 03/10/84 underground 15-70 kt 19/12/84 underground 5-50 kt 05/06/87 underground size unknown 29/09/88 underground 1-20 kt 26/05/90 underground 15-65 kt 16/08/90 underground 50-200 kt 21/05/92 underground 660 kt 25/09/92 underground 1-20 kt 05/10/93 underground 40-80 kt 10/06/94 underground 10-60 kt 07/10/94 underground 40-150 kt 15/05/95 underground 90 kt 17/08/95 underground 20-80 kt