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Beijing conducts

nuclear test

BEIJING: China conducted an underground nuclear blast, its second this year, at its main test site in a remote western desert on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry announced. "China has all along exercised utmost restraint on nuclear testing and the tests it has conducted are extremely limited in number," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Chen Jian, who confirmed the test through the official Xinhua news agency. The explosion took place at the Lop Nor nuclear test site in western Xinjiang at 9.00 a.m. (0100 GMT) and created a shock that registered 5.6 on the open-ended Richter scale, the Australian Geological Survey Organisation said from Canberra. It was at least the 43rd nuclear explosion at Lop Nor since tests started there in 1964, they said. Reiterating China's position, Chen said Beijing could cease nuclear testing once a comprehensive test ban treaty came into force and said he hoped the pact could be signed by the end of 1996. Beijing wants to conduct at least one more test this year and three more in 1996, arguing they are needed because China's testing programme lags far behind the other nuclear powers -- the United States, Britain, France and Russia. Japan lodges protest

TOKYO: Japan lodged a strong protest against China's latest nuclear test on Thursday, saying Tokyo seriously regretted the timing of the blast and hinting it could further cut aid to China because of the test.

"We seriously regret China has again conducted nuclear tests today at a time when not only Japan but the whole world was renewing the wish for nuclear disarmament after the 50th anniversary of the war and the first nuclear bombs," Chief Cabinet Secretary Koken Nosaka said.-Reuter