Many people view the Cold War primarily as a competition for arms between the United States and the Soviet Union. However, numerous other countries also developed their own nuclear weapons during this period. On October 17, 1964, China conducted its first atomic bomb test, known as Project 596. The test was successful, making China the fifth country to officially possess nuclear weapons.

Sino-Soviet Split

China’s rapid military expansion was primarily driven by the geopolitical rift between the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union in the 1950s, known as the Sino-Soviet Split. This split fractured the existing communist bloc. The Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, publicly denounced the teachings and leadership of his predecessor, Joseph Stalin. Chinese leader Mao Zedong took this criticism personally, as he had modeled his leadership style after Stalin and viewed Khrushchev as a traitor to communist principles.

Tensions escalated over the course of a decade as the leaders of both countries became increasingly petty and strained. Zedong openly criticized the Soviet approach, which led the Soviet Union to withhold its nuclear bomb model from China. In response, China hurriedly worked on developing its own nuclear weapons, bringing the two nations to the brink of war.

Project 596

China’s Project 596, the codename for its nuclear program, was named after June 1959, the month and year the Soviet Union withdrew its aid, officially declaring China’s nuclear ambitions.

Just over six years after officially announcing its nuclear program, China conducted its first atomic bomb test. The testing took place on October 17, 1964, at the Lop Nur test site in a desolate, isolated region of northwest China. The bomb, nicknamed 596, had a yield of 22 kilotons, and the test was deemed successful.

Significance

The successful atomic bomb test made China the fifth country to possess nuclear weapons, significantly reshaping global politics.

While the increase in nuclear-armed nations may seem concerning, China promptly declared that it has no intention of being the first to deploy a nuclear weapon against any country, at any time or under any circumstances.