China's First Atomic Bomb Detonates on Oct 16, 1964

China succeeds in detonating its first atomic bomb on Oct 16, 1964. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

China's first atomic bomb detonates on Oct 16, 1964

China's first atomic bomb was detonated at Lop Nor, a lake in present-day Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on Oct 16, 1964.

The explosion made China the fifth country to have nuclear weapon in the world after the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and France.

A Declaration of the Government of the People's Republic of China released on the same day announced that the bomb was made for defensive use and in order to break the "nuclear monopoly". It pledged that China would "not be the first to use nuclear weapons at any time or under any circumstances."

Third line of the West-to-East natural gas transmission project starts construction on Oct 16, 2012

Construction of China's third line of the West-to-East natural gas transmission project started on Oct 16, 2012.

It was the first time both public and private capital had been invested in a project and many units like China National Petroleum Corporation and China Baowu Steel Group Corporation Limited participated in the construction.

About 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas has been transmitted to cities along the line every year since it was completed, giving a source of clean and reliable energy to more than a hundred million residents living in affected areas.

The project also promoted optimization of energy structure as well as energy conservation and emission reduction, revving up coordinated development of the affected regions and driving manufacturing and material industries.

In addition, the line expanded domestic demands in the country and supported economic and social development.

(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)