---
category: Country
created: 2025-07-22
description: China is a country in East Asia, a major global power, and a significant
  player in Cold War geopolitics, including nuclear and intelligence activities.
summary: China is an East Asian country and major Cold War power whose nuclear weapons
  program, Lop Nor test site, Chinese state parapsychology research, and PROMIS software
  transfers are the primary contexts in which it appears in this vault.
tags:
- Organization
- Government
- Country
- Asia
- Cold War
- Nuclear
title: China
updated: 2026-05-17
---

[China](/places/china/) is a country in East Asia. During the Cold War, it was a significant player in global geopolitics, often viewed as a rival or potential ally by both the [United States](/places/united-states/) and the [Soviet Union](/places/soviet-union/).[^1]
### Nuclear Program
China's nuclear program was a subject of intense interest for U.S. intelligence. In the late summer of 1979, [Mel Riley](/people/mel-riley/) and [Joe McMoneagle](/people/joe-mcmoneagle/), remote viewers from the [Grill Flame](/programs/stargate-project/) program, successfully remote-viewed a new Chinese nuclear device at Lop Nor. Their descriptions, including an unusual hourglass-shaped design element, were later confirmed by U.S. weapons analysts, demonstrating the efficacy of remote viewing in intelligence gathering.[^1]

### Diplomatic Relations
President [Richard Nixon](/people/richard-nixon/)'s historic visit to China in 1972 marked a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy, opening relations between the two countries. However, intelligence concerns persisted. For example, the [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) investigated the Chinese Embassy in a foreign capital, suspecting its basement communications office, and later tasked [Pat Price](/people/pat-price/) to remote-view a Chinese consular building in Rome.[^1]

[^1]: Schnabel, Jim. *Remote Viewers*. Dell, 1997.