THE HISTORY OF PLUTONIUM PRODUCTION IN CHINA

China has kept information about its stocks of fissile materials and nuclear weapons secret. Based on new public information, it is believed China halted its plutonium production for weapons in 1987. This paper further reconstructs the history of China’s plutonium production at its two plutonium production complexes. Also the paper updates significantly estimates on China’s stockpile of plutonium for nuclear weapons. The new estimate is significant higher than other recent estimates. China has produced plutonium for weapons at two sites: 1) Jiuquan Atomic Energy Complex (Plant 404) in Jiuquan, Gansu province. This site includes China’s first plutonium reactor (reactor 801) and associated reprocessing facilities. 2) Guangyuan plutonium production complex (Plant 821), located at Guangyuan in Sichuan province. This “third line” site also included a plutonium reactor (reactor 821) and reprocessing facility. While China has not declared officially that it has ended HEU and plutonium production for weapons, it appears that China halted its HEU and plutonium production for weapons in 1987.1