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Commentary
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is actively advancing its efforts to control the weather, including the development of university degree programs dedicated to weather modification.
Chinese scientists recently announced the results of a weather modification experiment conducted in the arid western region of Xinjiang. Using a fleet of cloud-seeding drones, the team reportedly increased rainfall by more than 4 percent across an area of more than 3,000 square miles (8,000 square kilometers) in a single day. According to the researchers, just 1 kilogram of silver iodide generated more than 70,000 cubic meters of additional precipitation, enough to fill 30 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The experiment was overseen by Li Bin of the China Meteorological Administration and carried out by the Laboratory of Cloud-Precipitation Physics and Weather Modification in Beijing. The findings were published in the Chinese-language journal Desert and Oasis Meteorology. Similar experiments have also been reported in Guizhou, Shanghai, Gansu, and Sichuan provinces.
However, the Xinjiang experiment has not been independently verified by major Western news outlets or scientific institutions. Coverage is limited to pro-CCP media outlets and a handful of smaller news aggregators, all of which cite the same source.
Although the results of the Xinjiang weather control experiment remain unverified, the technical details of cloud seeding are scientifically plausible, and it is a fact that China operates what is believed to be the world’s largest weather modification program. The nationwide initiative employs
37,000 people who conduct cloud seeding by launching rockets and artillery shells filled with silver iodide. Since 2012, China has invested more than $1.34 billion in weather modification efforts, according to Chinese state-run media Xinhua.
Beyond experimental trials, Beijing also claims a history of successfully using weather modification in real-world scenarios. For example, clouds were seeded ahead of the 2008 Olympics to reduce smog and prevent rain. The regime routinely employs similar techniques to guarantee clear skies for major political meetings in the capital, utilizing both cloud seeding and temporary factory shutdowns.
Officials also cite major agricultural gains, particularly in Northeast China, where weather control operations have allegedly increased average annual
rainfall by 27 percent and boosted grain output by 23.2 billion jin (.5 kilograms, or about 1.1 pounds) through targeted artificial rain and hail prevention during key growing seasons.
The China Meteorological Administration also cites environmental and disaster response achievements. Officials claim that ecological restoration efforts now cover nearly three-quarters of key national ecological zones, including Sanjiangyuan and the Qilian Mountains, as well as nearly half of the large and medium-sized reservoirs.
Satellite data cited by Chinese authorities indicate increased vegetation coverage in Sanjiangyuan, a
371-square-kilometer expansion of Qinghai Lake, and a continued decline in desertification in the Qilian Mountains. Meteorological departments also credit weather modification with delivering “timely rain” and “life-saving water” during droughts, extreme heat, and forest fires.
China has systematically built academic infrastructure to support its weather modification ambitions, culminating in December 2024 with the launch of the country’s first Institute of Weather Modification at
Chengdu University of Information Technology in Sichuan Province. The institute offers China’s first undergraduate degree in meteorological technology and engineering with a specialization in weather modification, enrolling 80 students in its inaugural class. Coursework includes meteorological physics, cloud precipitation physics, and meteorological big data and artificial intelligence.
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Beyond this dedicated institute, the broader research ecosystem includes top universities like Tsinghua University, which has played a key role in the
Sky River Project since 2016. In collaboration with
Qinghai University and provincial meteorological bureaus, the project aims to develop large-scale atmospheric water management systems.
The academic effort is further supported by a national network of nine meteorological research institutes, including the China Academy of
Meteorological Sciences, and eight specialized institutes focused on urban, desert, and plateau meteorology, creating a comprehensive foundation for training future weather modification experts.
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CCP officials claim that the weather modification program is intended to support climate adaptation, national food security, environmental protection, and socioeconomic development. However, strategic concerns persist. China is a signatory to the
Environmental Modification Convention (ENMOD), a treaty established following the U.S. employment of weather modification techniques during the Vietnam War.
ENMOD prohibits “the military or other hostile use of environmental modification techniques having widespread, long-lasting or severe effects.” However,
concerns have been raised that China has been
violating the rules.
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These activities have raised alarm among neighboring countries, particularly India. Given the importance of weather conditions to troop movements in the Himalayan border region, some
Indian analysts speculate that Chinese weather modification could provide a strategic edge in future conflicts. India’s Ministry of Defense has reportedly taken the issue
seriously and seeks support from friendly nations to investigate possible interference.
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Of particular concern is China’s deployment of more than
500 fuel-burning weather control devices, known as burners, on alpine slopes in Tibet, Xinjiang, and other regions. These burners are designed to enhance rainfall and are being used experimentally on the Tibetan Plateau, which has a direct impact on South Asia’s climate.
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The implications extend beyond regional neighbors to include broader concerns for the United States. American intelligence agencies have warned that weather modification could become a tool of geopolitical leverage, with the 2021
National Intelligence Estimate on climate change highlighting the “increasing chance that countries will unilaterally test and deploy large-scale solar geoengineering.”
U.S. officials worry that China’s expanding weather modification capabilities could potentially disrupt global weather patterns, affect agricultural productivity in allied nations, or serve as a form of environmental warfare.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
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