The Role Of The Soviet Union In Establishing The Chinese Nuclear Program

Abstract

After the establishment of the new regime in China in 1949, the People's Republic of China, led by Mao Zedong, sought to strengthen the country militarily and realized that nuclear weapons were a means of achieving state power and independence. On this basis, an alliance was established between the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union, culminating in the Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance in 1950. As a result, Chinese scientists and engineers were sent to the Soviet Union, particularly in nuclear fields, for training. The Soviet Union also sent scientists to assist Chinese scientists in the infrastructure of the nuclear program, assisted in uranium research, and provided a reactor for uranium research and enrichment. In addition, the Soviet Union delivered blueprints for the nuclear bomb in its initial form. However, ideological and political differences between the two countries began to appear clearly in the late 1950s. In 1959, the Soviet Union began withdrawing experts from the People's Republic of China.