China’s Fissile Material Production and Stocks

Hui Zhang wrote the chapter "China" in the International Panel on Fissile Materials report Global Fissile Material Report 2010: Balancing the Books. Zhang's chapter summarizes China's fissile material production; highly enriched uranium (HEU) production began in 1964 and plutonium production in 1966. China has kept information about its stocks of fissile materials and nuclear weapons secret. While China has not declared officially that it has ended HEU and plutonium production for weapons, it is believed to have done so after Beijing began to give priority to its economic and political reforms in 1978. China moved to reduce military HEU and plutonium production, switching some facilities to civilian purposes and closing others, finally stopping production of HEU in 1987 and of plutonium by about 1990.