A coastal park on Heping Island (和平岛) in Zhongzheng District, Keelung City. Rapprochement/détente is defined as a peaceful settlement between opposition or warring parties. The French pronunciation of détente is similar to earthquake (地动) in the Fujian dialect.

Unverified earthquake alerts associated with (classified) tectonic weapons (地壳/地震/构造武器) 'Tectonic warfare' was a Soviet ambition succeeded by the government of Russia ‘involving attempts to stimulate “artificial” earthquakes as weapons of destruction (Levitin 1996: 471). According to Moscow News, classified Project Mercury and Project Volcano created artificial epicentres by ‘using underground nuclear explosions’; University of Leeds lecturer, Clark, claimed the Russians attempted to ‘create earthquakes and control their location electromagnetically’ (Levitin 1996: 471). The underground testing of Soviet communist sponsored Project Mercury was implemented at Batken in Kyrgyzstan using British-built system 9690 under the supervision of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences. The final underground testing of Project Volcano in 1993 was executed at S36NZ-0Kh (NZ referring to Novaya Zemlya, the nuclear testing site in the 1950s). In the U.S., McKinley Climatic Laboratory and High Frequency Active Auroral Research Programme (HAARP) are the most renowned.

Article 2 of the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques (ENMOD) defines environmental modification techniques as ‘any technique for changing - through the deliberate manipulation of natural processes - the dynamics, composition or structure of the earth, including its biota, lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere, or of outer space.’

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake (No. 113019) struck at 07:58 AM on 3 April 2024 Taiwan Standard Time (UTC+8). The epicentre was located 18 KM southwest of Hualien City (N 23.77°, E 121.67°). The reported intensity was as follows: 6- in Hualien City and Taroko, 5- in Taipei and New Taipei city and 4 in Keelung City. Subsequently after the mainshock at 08:11 AM, a magnitude 6.5 aftershock occurred and until 15:30, over 57 5.0+ aftershocks were announced by the Central Weather Bureau (CWA).

Article 3 of Treaty on the Prohibition of the Emplacement of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction on the Sea-Bed and the Ocean Floor and in the Subsoil Thereof: 4. If consultations and co-operation pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 3 of this article have not removed the doubts concerning the activities and there remains a serious question concerning fulfilment of the obligations assumed under this Treaty, a State Party may, in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, refer the matter to the Security Council, which may take action in accordance with the Charter.

Sources: A/RES/2660(XXV). 1971. UN Documents. https://documents.un.org/doc/resolution/gen/nr0/347/93/pdf/nr034793.pdf

Chou, C. et al. 2024. Summary report of Hualien Earthquake in Taiwan on April 3, 2024 (first edition, v1.0). NCREE. https://www.ncree.narl.org.tw/assets/file/20240403_Hualien_TW_EQ_V1.0en.pdf

Convention on the prohibition of military or any other hostile use of environmental modification techniques. 1976. https://disarmament.unoda.org/enmod/

Hualien Earthquake in Taiwan on April 3, 2024. 2024. UCL. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/epicentre/news/2024/apr/hualien-earthquake-taiwan-april-3-2024

Levitin, C. 1996. Russian documents set out 'tectonic weapon' research. Nature 383. https://www.nature.com/articles/383471b0.pdf

Participants in Disarmament Treaties:China. n.d. UNODA. https://treaties.unoda.org/s/CHN

Rapprochement. n.d. Cambridge Dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-chinese-traditional/rapprochement

禁止在海洋底床及其下层土壤放置核武器及其他大规模毁灭武器条约。1971。联合国公约与宣言。https://www.un.org/zh/documents/treaty/A-RES-2660%28XXV%29

楊惟任。2015。氣候與氣象武器。戰略與評估第六卷第四期。 https://www.mnd.gov.tw/NewUpload/201604/DSAA-Vol6Issue4-%E6%B0%A3%E5%80%99%E8%88%87%E6%B0%A3%E8%B1%A1%E6%AD%A6%E5%99%A8-%E6%A5%8A%E6%83%9F%E4%BB%BB.pdf