CfP: China's First Bomb and the International Response

International Workshop on the 50th Anniversary of China's First Bomb and the International Response

Beijing, China, 22 October 2014

It has been 50 years since China conducted its first nuclear test. The Bomb changed China itself as well as the scenery of international politics with China emerging as a great power. This international workshop will investigate the following questions:

• How does a nuclear armed China view the world and how does the world view a nuclear armed China?
• How are policies such as "no first use", the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and nuclear disarmament intereprested by the Chinese leadership?
• How could these fixed policies function within the unstable situation of the past half century?

International archival and documentation processes make it possible to view the first Chinese test from an international perspective. Themes to be discussed at this workshop include:

1. The key issues driving China's decision to test its nuclear weapon,
2. The reaction by both major and periphery power to the detonation of China's first bomb,
3. The evolution of China's nuclear policy during the past five decades.

Co-Sponsored By:

• Chinese Association of Studies on the History of Two Bombs and One Satelite
• East China Normal University, Center for Cold War Studies

Application Process:

Persons interested in this workshop should submit an acedmic biography (maximum 300 words), a presentaiton topic, and abstract (300-500 words, please indicate your sources) to Dr. Chen Bo (bogon78@163.com) before the end of August 2014. Successful applicants will be notified by late August 2014 and receive a formal invitation.

Persons whose proposals are accpeted must send their presentations or reports to Dr. Chen Bo before the end of September 2014. Participants are expected to introduce new archival sources or documents pertaining to the workshop topic.

Timeline:

• August 2014: Invitation letters distributed

• September 2014: Presentations or outlines received

• October 21: Arrival of participants

• October 22: Workshop

• October 23: Departure of Participants