The People's Republic of China is estimated to have an arsenal of about 400 nuclear weapons stockpiled as of 1999, although this number is questionable because the Chinese government releases little information regarding nuclear weapons other than stating that China possesses the smallest nuclear arsenal amongst the five nuclear-weapon states. Some sources suggest that China might have as many as 2000 nuclear warheads, but other sources estimate as low as 80. Nuclear tests began in 1964. The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) was signed in 1996. China denies having either biological or chemical weapons, having acceded to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) in 1984, and ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 1996. Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) generally include nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) and, increasingly, radiological weapons. ... Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) generally include nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) and, increasingly, radiological weapons. ... Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of any organism (bacteria, virus or other disease-causing organism) or toxin found in nature, as a weapon of war. ... Chemical warfare is warfare (and associated military operations) using the toxic properties of chemical substances to kill, injure or incapacitate an enemy. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ... A radiological weapon (or radiological dispersion device, RDD) is any weapon that is designed to spread radioactive contamination, either to kill, or to deny the use of an area (a modern version of salting the earth) and consists of a device (such as a nuclear or conventional explosive) which spreads... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Opened for signature September 10, 1996[1] in New York Entered into force Not yet in force Conditions for entry into force The treaty will enter into force 180 days after it is ratified by all of the following 44 (Annex 2) countries: Algeria, Argentina, Australia... Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of any organism (bacteria, virus or other disease_causing organism) or toxin found in nature, as a weapon of war. ... Dressing the wounded during a gas attack by Austin O. Spare, 1918. ... The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (usually referred to as just Biological Weapons Convention, abbreviation: BWC) was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the production of an entire category of weapons (with exceptions for medical... Chemical Weapons Convention Opened for signature January 13, 1993 at Paris Entered into force April 29, 1997 Conditions for entry into force Ratification by 50 states and the convening of a Preperatory Commission Parties 170 The Chemical Weapons Convention is an arms control agreement which outlaws the production, stockpiling and...

Biological weapons

Biological weapons program

Chinese officials have stated that China has never engaged in biological activities with offensive military applications.

US, UK, and Russian reports question this claim. According to unconfirmed sources, the Chinese may have operated an offensive biological weapons program in the 1980s and these efforts may continue to this day. In its 1998 annual report on arms control compliance, the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) stated that the United States believes that China had an offensive BW program prior to 1984 when it became a Party to the BWC, and maintained it throughout most of the 1980s. 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Scud Missile The U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) was established as an independent agency by the Arms Control and Disarmament Act (75 Stat. ...

In addition, The New York Times reported on April 5, 1999 that a senior Soviet defector, Kanatjan Alibekov, former director of one of the Soviet germ-warfare programs, said that China suffered a serious accident at one of its biological weapons plants in the late 1980s. Alibekov asserted that Soviet reconnaissance satellites had found a biological weapons laboratory and plant near a site for testing nuclear warheads. It was then allegedly discovered that two epidemics of hemorrhagic fever swept the region in the late 1980s. Soviet analysts assumed that they were caused by an accident in a lab where Chinese scientists were weaponizing viral diseases. The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Dr. Kanatjan Alibekov (or Americanized Ken Alibek) was born in Kazakhstan. ... Viral hemorrhagic fevers are a group of illnesses that are caused by several distinct families of viruses: Arenavirus, Filoviridae, Bunyaviridae and Flavivirus. ...

Biological weapons exports

US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright expressed her concerns over possible Chinese biological weapon transfers to Iran and other nations in a letter to Senator Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah) in January 1997. Albright stated that she had received reports regarding transfers of dual-use items from Chinese entities to the Iranian government which concerned her and that the United States had to encourage China to adopt comprehensive export controls to prevent assistance to Iran's biological weapons program. Madeleine Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová on May 15, 1937) served as the 64th United States Secretary of State. ... A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Dual-use is a term often used in politics and diplomacy to refer to technology which can be used for both peaceful and military aims, usually in regard to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. ...

The United States acted upon the allegations on January 16, 2002, when it imposed sanctions on three Chinese firms accused of supplying Iran with materials used in the manufacture of chemical and biological weapons. January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Sanctions is the plural of sanction (see also penalty). ...

In response to this, China issued export control protocols on dual use biological technology in late 2002. Dual-use is a term often used in politics and diplomacy to refer to technology which can be used for both peaceful and military aims, usually in regard to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Chemical weapons

China signed the CWC (Chemical Weapons Convention) in January 13, 1993. The CWC was ratified April 25, 1997. (1)Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, "Signatory States to the Chemical Weapons Convention," http://www.opcw.nl/memsta/namelist.htm.

Nuclear weapons

Nuclear weapons
History of nuclear weapons
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear arms race
Weapon design / testing
Nuclear explosion
Delivery systems
Nuclear espionage
Proliferation
Countries
Nuclear weapons states US · Russia · UK · France China · India · Pakistan Israel · North Korea The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ... Image File history File links A picture of a mockup of the Fat Man nuclear device, from http://www. ... A nuclear fireball lights up the night in a United States nuclear test. ... The Titan II ICBM carried a 9 Mt W53 warhead, making it one of the most powerful nuclear weapons fielded by the United States during the Cold War. ... US and USSR/Russian nuclear weapons stockpiles, 1945-2005. ... The first nuclear weapons, though large, cumbersome and inefficient, provided the basic design building blocks of all future weapons. ... Preparation for an underground nuclear test at the Nevada Test Site in the 1980s. ... It has been suggested that Nuclear explosive be merged into this article or section. ... Nuclear weapons delivery is the technology and systems used to place a nuclear weapon at the position of detonation, on or near its intended target. ... Nuclear espionage is the purposeful giving of state secrets regarding nuclear weapons to other states without authorization (espionage). ... World map with nuclear weapons development status represented by color. ... This is a list of countries with nuclear weapons. ... The United States was the first country in the world to successfully develop nuclear weapons, and is the only country to have used them in war against another nation. ...

China is one of the five "Nuclear Weapons States" (NWS) under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which China ratified in 1992. China is the only NWS to give an unqualified security assurance to non-nuclear-weapon states: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Opened for signature July 1, 1968 in New York Entered into force March 5, 1970 Conditions for entry into force Ratification by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and 40 other signatory states. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

"China undertakes not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon States or nuclear-weapon-free zones at any time or under any circumstances." [1]

Because of strict secrecy it is very difficult to determine the exact size and composition of China's nuclear forces. Two declassified U.S. government reports give historical estimates. The 1984 Defense Intelligence Agency "Defense Estimative Brief" estimates the Chinese nuclear stockpile as consisting of between 150 and 160 warheads [2]. A 1993 National Security Council report estimated that China's nuclear deterrent force relied on 60 to 70 nuclear armed ballistic missiles [3]. In 2004 the U.S. Department of Defense assessed that China had about 20 ICBMs capable of targeting the United States [4]. 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... DIA seal The Defense Intelligence Agency is a major producer and manager of intelligence for the United States Department of Defense. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... A National Security Council is an executive body which coordinates national security issues and typically includes the heads of departments involved in diplomacy and defense with a small staff. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Department of Defense, abbreviated DoD or DOD and sometimes called the Defense Department, is a civilian Cabinet organization of the United States government. ... A Minuteman III missile soars after a test launch. ...

China's first test of a nuclear device took place on October 16, 1964, at the Lop Nur test site. China's last nuclear test was on July 29, 1996. According to the Australian Geological Survey Organization in Canberra the yield of the 1996 test was 1 to 5 kilotons. This was China's 22nd underground test and 45th test overall. Lop Nur (ear-shaped) from space, September 1992 Lop Nur (Lake Lop; alternately Lop Nor, Lo-pu po or Taitema Lake) is a group of small, now seasonal salt lakes and marshes between the Taklamakan and Kuruktag deserts in the southeastern portion of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China... July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

China has made significant improvements in its miniaturization techniques since the 1980s. There have been accusations, notably by the Cox Commission, that this was done primarily by covertly acquiring the US W-70 warhead design as well as ballistic missile guidance. Chinese scientists have stated that they have made advances in these areas, but insist that these advances were made indigenously without copying American designs. Miniaturization is a continuing trend in technology toward ever-smaller scales for first mechanical, then optical and most recently electronic devices. ... U.S. Representative Chris Cox (Republican-California) chaired the Committee that produced the report. ...

Although the total number of nuclear weapons in the Chinese arsenal is unknown, as of 2005 the various estimates vary from as low as 80 to as high as 2000. In 2004 China stated "Among the nuclear-weapon states, China ... possesses the smallest nuclear arsenal", implying China has fewer than the 200 nuclear weapons the United Kingdom has [5]. Most sources say that China has around 400-430 nuclear warheads. Some authors argue that U.S. intelligence estimates suggest a much smaller nuclear force than many non-governmental organizations. [6] 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United Kingdom was the third country to test an independently developed nuclear weapon in October 1952. ...

The following is an estimate of China’s nuclear forces.

Land-based Intercontinental Ballistic and Cruise Missiles (ICBMs)

Although unconfirmed, most Western analysts believe China has deployed 24~36 DF-5 single-warhead, three-stage, liquid-fueled ICBMs since the 1980s (range of 12,000-15,000 KM). China is developing the DF-31, a modern solid-fuel ICBM (range of 8,000 km - 10,000 km) with a MIRV capability, which the U.S. Department of Defense assessed in 2004 would be deployed later this decade [7]. The DF-5 is a 3 stage Chinese ICBM. It has a length 32. ... A Minuteman III missile soars after a test launch. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The United States Department of Defense, abbreviated DoD or DOD and sometimes called the Defense Department, is a civilian Cabinet organization of the United States government. ...

Sea-based weapons

The People's Liberation Army Navy's SLBM inventory is relatively new. China launched its first 2nd-generation nuclear armed submarine in April 1981. The Chinese navy currently has 1 Type 092 Xia class SSBN at roughly 8,000 tons displacement. A second Type 092 was reportedly lost in an accident in 1985. The Type 092 is equipped with 12 JL-1 SLBMs with a range of 2150-2500 km. The JL-1 is a modified DF-21 missile. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The 6,500-ton Type 092 (US Dept of Defense designation Xia-class) submarine was the first ballistic missile-carrying, nuclear-powered submarine class (SSBN) deployed by the Peoples Liberation Army Navy. ...

The Chinese navy is developing the Type 094 class SSBN, it is reported at least 1 of these have been completed. This submarine will be capable of carrying 16 of the longer ranged, more modern JL-2s with a range of approximately 8000 km. The Type 094 is a designation given to a new class of SSBN being developed by the Peoples Liberation Army Navy. ... The JL-2 is a Chinese Submarine-launched ballistic missile with a range of 8,000 kilometers, currently in development for use in a new SSBN, Type 094. ...

Heavy bomber group

China's bomber force is mostly comprised of Chinese-made versions of Soviet aircraft. The People's Liberation Army Air Force currently has 20 H-5s (a variant of the Ilyushin Il-28) and 120 H-6s (a variant of the Tupolev Tu-16). All these obsolete bombers are outfitted to carry nuclear as well as conventional weapons. The Chinese has also produced the Xian JH-7 Flying Leopard fighter-bomber (currently about 20 are in service) capable of delivering a nuclear strike. China has also bought the more advanced Sukhoi Su-30 from Russia, currently, about 100 Su-30s (MKK and MK2 variants) have been purchased by China. The Su-30 is capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons. Flag of the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force The Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) (Simplified Chinese: 解放军空军; Pinyin: Jiěfàngjūn Kōngjūn) is the aviation branch of the Peoples Liberation Army, the military of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Ilyushin Il-28 is a jet bomber aircraft that was originally manufactured for the Soviet Air Force and was the USSRs first such aircraft to enter large-scale production. ... Tupolev Tu-16 3-view The Tupolev Tu-16 (NATO codename: Badger) was a twin-engine jet bomber used by the Soviet Union. ... A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... The Xian JH-7 is a two-seater, twin-engine fighter-bomber in service with the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and Peoples Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF). ... The Sukhoi Su-30 is a highly-agile military aircraft developed by Russias Sukhoi Aviation Corporation in 1996. ... Sukhoi-30 (Nato: Flanker-C) The Sukhoi Su-30 is a military aircraft that was produced by the Russian company Sukhoi in 1996. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ...

See also

• People's Liberation Army
• Nuclear weapons in Taiwan

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Republic of China (ROC) maintains a large military establishment, which will account for 16. ...

External links

• Fact Sheet: China: Nuclear Disarmament and Reduction, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, People's Republic of China, 2004/04/27
• FY04 Report to Congress on PRC Military Power, U.S. Department of Defense
• Status of Nuclear Powers and Their Nuclear Capabilities, Federation of American Scientists
• Nuclear Threat Initiative on China
• PLA Strategic Missile Force - Chinese Defence Today
• Jeffrey Lewis, "The ambiguous arsenal", Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May/June 2005.
• Nuclear Notebook: Chinese nuclear forces, 2003, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Nov/Dec 2003.
• Defense Estimative Brief, Nuclear Weapons Systems in China, Defense Intelligence Agency, 24 April 1984
• Report to Congress on Status of China, India and Pakistan Nuclear and Ballistic Missile Programs, National Security Council, July 28, 1993
• Nuclear Files.org Information on the background of nuclear weapons in China
• Nuclear Files.org Current information on nuclear stockpiles in China
• International Relations and Security Network - China and the Warsaw Pact, Account of Soviet-China nuclear technology transfer, October 2002