China conducted its first nuclear weapons test (a uranium implosion fission device), becoming the world’s fifth nuclear-armed state. The test took place at the Lop Nur test site in Xinjiang, which became China’s central location for nuclear testing through the 1990s.
China carried out a nuclear test in which a warhead was delivered by a ballistic missile (the DF-2A medium-range missile). This marked an important step from proving a bomb design to proving a workable nuclear delivery system.
China detonated its first two-stage thermonuclear weapon, often called a hydrogen bomb, at Lop Nur. The test demonstrated a major leap in weapon design, moving from fission-only devices to much higher-yield thermonuclear weapons.
China conducted its first underground nuclear test at Lop Nur. Moving tests underground reduced the visible signature of testing and, compared with atmospheric detonations, generally reduced radioactive fallout spread through the air.
China conducted its last atmospheric nuclear detonation, ending a phase in which tests were visible and could spread fallout widely. After this point, China’s nuclear explosive tests are generally described as continuing underground until the mid-1990s.
Chinese researchers carried out a successful enhanced-radiation weapon test, commonly described as a neutron bomb test. This reflected continued development toward more specialized nuclear designs beyond basic fission and large thermonuclear weapons.
China joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the main global agreement aimed at limiting the spread of nuclear weapons. Accession signaled a shift toward participating more fully in international nonproliferation rules while keeping its recognized nuclear-weapon-state status under the treaty.
China conducted what U.S. reporting described as its largest underground nuclear test (around the one-megaton range). The test drew international criticism and highlighted the tension between continued testing and growing global efforts to establish a comprehensive test ban.
Seismologists detected an underground nuclear explosion at China’s known test area, following a gap after the 1992 tests. This indicated that China’s program was still actively validating designs even as negotiations toward a global test ban continued.
China carried out its last confirmed nuclear explosive test at Lop Nur, completing a total testing record often reported as 45 tests between 1964 and 1996. The event came as negotiations for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) were nearing completion.
Following the July 1996 test, China stated it would begin a moratorium on further nuclear tests effective the next day. This moratorium aligned China with the other recognized nuclear powers, which had already stopped explosive testing by the mid-1990s.
China signed the CTBT shortly after it opened for signature at the United Nations in New York. By signing, China formally endorsed a global ban on nuclear explosive testing, closing the 1964–1996 era in which it had used repeated tests to build and refine both nuclear warheads and their delivery systems.
PRC Nuclear and Ballistic Missile Tests (1964–1996)