China's nuclear weapons programme

China has been a nuclear weapons power since it conducted its first nuclear test explosion in 1964. This means that China is one of the five states that are allowed to keep a nuclear weapons arsenal under the Treaty of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) from 1968. China has always maintained that it follows a policy of minimal credible deterrence, and will adhere to a strict none first use policy under all circumstances. Chine has avoided building up a very large arsenal, but has instead relied on a policy of quantitative and geographic ambiguity, keeping all information about the number of weapons and their location strictly secret. Over the years, China’s nuclear programme has gone through a substantial development, in spite of economic restrictions, especially in the early years, and relatively few, 47 recorded, test explosions. Although the total number of weapons probably is kept low, most analysts estimate around 240 warheads. China has several nuclear capable missile types, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine launched missiles and possible cruise missiles, and is currently believed to be in the process of developing a multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRV) technology. China today seems to have a small, but technically advanced nuclear weapons arsenal.