IN THE WORLD
On July 1, 1968, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is opened for signature and signed by the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Article IX of the treaty established that entry into force would require the treaty’s ratification by those three countries and 40 additional states. China and France, the other two recognized nuclear-weapon states under the treaty, did not sign it. China argued the treaty was discriminatory and refused to sign or adhere to it. France, on the other hand, indicated that it would not sign the treaty but “would behave in the future in this field exactly as the States adhering to the Treaty.” Both states acceded to the treaty in 1992. The treaty entered into force on March 5, 1970 with 46 countries signing the accord.