(June 21, 1996) On Saturday, 8 June 1996, at 0256 GMT, China conducted an underground nuclear test at its Lop Nor test site. It was China's 44th nuclear test since exploding its first atomic bomb in 1964 and one or two more are expected this year. The blast had a magnitude of 5.7 on the Richter scale.
(454.4493) WISE-Amsterdam - On 12 June, the Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that China exploded more than two nuclear warheads simultaneously. The newspaper, quoting government sources, reported that the US government informed Tokyo of China's multiple test, part of its program to produce smaller warheads for submarine-launched and multiple-targeted missiles. China may have decided to detonate more than one warhead at the same time because of growing criticism against the tests.
The tests aroused official condemnation around the world. Kazakhstan, which borders China's Xinjian province, where Lop Nor is located, said it was very concerned by the nuclear blast and urged Beijing to fulfil its pledge to impose a moratorium on atomic testing. Mongolia, which has declared itself a nuclear-free zone, also protested. It fears that the tests are responsible for higher-than-normal radiation levels in areas of its southern Gobi desert.
Sources: Reuter 8, 9, 10 & 12 June 1996
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