The Chinese Government has adopted a new policy since 2007 to
pay subsidies to participants of nuclear tests, said Li Xueju,
minister of civil affairs, during a visit to a unit of the Chinese
People's Armed Police (PAP) on Friday.
It is the first time that a government official talked about
nuclear test participants receiving the subsidies.
According to Li, the government paid a total of 15.12 billion
yuan (US$2.07 billion, an increase of 34.8 percent year-on-year, to
more than 8 million former service people and families of martyrs
who died in wars or for public interests.
The official said that more than 8 million recipients included
some military personnel and civilians who participated in nuclear
test. But he did not specify the number of nuclear test
participants receiving the subsidies and how much for each of them
last year.
On October 16, 1964, China carried out its first nuclear test by
exploding an A-bomb, and on July 29, 1996, the government announced
that China will stop nuclear tests, temporarily, as a practical
action to push forward the international nuclear disarmament.
On September 24, 1996, China signed the Comprehensive Nuclear
Ban Treaty of the United Nations.
The minister, who visited the PAP unit before the upcoming
Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, also said that last
year the government allocated more than 1 billion (US$13.7 million)
as subsidies for ex-soldiers who set up their businesses or
received professional training, as well as handicapped conscripts
who wanted to buy a residence.
(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2008)