Published on : 29/07/2024
On July 29, 1996, China successfully conducted an underground nuclear test in Lop Nor (羅布泊), Xinjiang, which was China's last nuclear test to date.
China conducted its first atomic bomb test at the Lop Nor nuclear test site in Xinjiang on October 16, 1964, followed by its first test of the hydrogen bomb theory on December 28, 1966.
To date, China has conducted a total of 45 nuclear tests, 23 of which were above ground and the rest were underground. Among the above ground nuclear tests, 11 were above the level of 100,000 tonnes and 7 were above the level of 1 million tonnes.
The last nuclear test took place at 9:50 in the morning, and the explosive equivalence was 5,000 tonnes. That evening, the Chinese government issued a statement, solemnly declaring a temporary halt to nuclear tests from the next day, which was "both in response to the demands of the majority of non-nuclear countries, and as a practical action to promote nuclear disarmament".