Quantum
Quantum technologies are emerging as a key subject of global power competition due to their potential military applications and ability to fundamentally transform people’s lives. Quantum effects can overcome limitations of digital technologies, solve computational problems that take impossibly long using traditional computers and transmit information over long distances without the risk of being intercepted. China hopes quantum technologies will allow it to leapfrog Western rivals.
China and the US are locked in a tight race for supremacy in quantum technologies. Through sustained government investment, China has achieved a number of firsts, including developing and launching the first quantum satellite, Micius.
While China has so far led in quantum communication, which enables secure communication over long distances, the US still leads in quantum computation.
China’s quantum technology development is a major result of mission-driven innovation. In the US, private companies like IBM dominate the race. So far at least, Chinese quantum technology companies and researchers have relied on government funding. Instead of large digital companies, startups founded by people with university affiliations, and usually funded by local or central government funds, dominate the landscape.
Quantum technologies are also a major area of international collaboration. Micius, the quantum satellite, was developed in cooperation with the University of Vienna, with future communication tests taking place between China and Russia. Many quantum technologies are still far from being market-ready but could provide decisive advantages to a military using them. As such, quantum research is at the forefront of discussions about research security in Europe.
Graphics dashboard
Quantum research of China with the West is declining
After the number of EU countries’ joint publications with China-based authors grew between 2017 and 2020, in 2023, less than 10 percent of quantum-related papers published in EU countries were co-authored with Chinese researchers. This is not because China fell behind. Quite the contrary, China increased its portion of most-cited papers in the field over the same period. Instead, it shows that political and security concerns are slowing collaboration.
Anhui leads in quantum policy development
Quantum technologies are concentrated in Hefei, Anhui. Professor of Physics Pan Jian-Wei at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei is at the center of quantum technology development. He earned his PhD in Vienna and did a postdoc in Heidelberg before moving to Hefei to build a government-funded lab.
China-affiliated authors have published more research papers on quantum tech than US-affiliated ones
Since 2022, China-affiliated authors have published more research papers on quantum technologies than US-affiliated ones. The field is still highly internationalized, with many European countries also publishing significant papers. Germany is over-represented for its size, reflecting the world-class academic research taking place in Germany in quantum technologies.
Quantum in China: Timeline of crucial events
Development
Policy/regulation
First A-listing of a quantum firm in China at the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The firm, QuantumCTek, offers quantum key distribution services for secure communications.
Jul 2020
The US adds QuantumCTek to its Entity List of trade-restricted companies, cutting off access to key US technology.
Nov 2021
China launches its second quantum satellite, Jinan 1, a successor to Micius, the first quantum satellite in the world. These satellites allow secure communication over long distances.
Jul 2022
The MIIT issues “Implementation opinions for future industries,” detailing goals for quantum computing.
Jan 2024
Origin Quantum presents the 24-qubit quantum computer Wukon. Some of the machines used to create it are reportedly German.
Feb 2024
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in Stockholm accepts China’s proposal to explore a communication network security protocol that could resist decryption by a quantum computer.
Oct 2024
The US adds China’s QuantumCTek to its Entity List of trade-restricted companies, cutting off access to key US technology.
Nov 2024
State-owned China Telecom becomes largest shareholder of QuantumCTek, China’s leading firm in quantum key distribution. Its investments signal further industrialization of quantum communication.
Jan 2025
In the context of new industrial policies in areas such as biomanufacturing and quantum technology, three government departments issue joint plan to enhance financial services in quantum technology.
Mar 2025
Shandong Province speeds up efforts to become a quantum tech and industry hub by building a “first-class scientific and technological innovation ecosystem.”
Apr 2025
White Paper “National Security in the New Era” describes quantum as key for China’s technological self-reliance, calls it a “double-edged sword” in a scientific revolution alongside AI and biotech.
May 2025
Pakistan and China sign a MoU to collaborate in quantum technology, with China Electronics Technology Group Corporation helping establish Pakistan’s National Centre for Quantum Computing.
Oct 2025
China deploys a superconducting quantum computer, developed by China Telecom Quantum Group and QuantumCTek and based on the “Zuchongzhi 3.0” design for commercial use.
Oct 2025
To integrate quantum encryption into telecom networks, China Telecom reportedly completes a first successful hollow-core optical fiber transmission test of quantum and classical signals over 101.6 km.
Nov 2025
The People’s Liberation Army claims to be testing over 10 quantum warfare weapons for military intelligence, navigation, air-defense and processing large amounts of battlefield data.
Jan 2026
Researchers at the University of Science and Technology (USTC) in Hefei claim their photonic quantum computer Jiuzhang, using 76 photons, beats traditional computers (quantum supremacy).
Oct 2020
Origin Quantum becomes China’s first unicorn (startup worth more than USD 1 billion) in quantum technology. Its founders came from the Chinese Academy of Science in Hefei.
Nov 2021
China’s dedicated technical commission on quantum standards (TC578) issues its first national standard in quantum communication.
Aug 2023
China and Russia successfully establish quantum communication over a distance of 3800 km, using China's quantum satellite. Earlier experiments had been conducted with Austria.
Jan 2024
The US adds 22 Chinese organizations and firms to its Entity List, including Origin Quantum, USTC, and several CAS institutes. They can no longer import US-made technology.
May 2024
A Chinese research team successfully demonstrates a 7 km, non-local quantum gate in Hefei, opening possibilities for distributed quantum computing.
Oct 2024
Quantum is becoming a commercial industry, suggests a white paper by the Chinese Academy of ICT, a think tank under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
Dec 2024
Hefei University of Science and Technology claims that the quantum computer prototype Zuchongzhi-3 is 15 orders of magnitude faster than the fastest supercomputer on current quantum benchmarks.
Mar 2025
A team at the University of Science and Technology of China presents a new quantum chip, Zuchongzhi 3.0, with 105 qubits, breaking a record for quantum computing previously held by Google.
Apr 2025
State-supported start-up Origin Quantum launches the fourth generation of its autonomous quantum computer measurement and control system Tianji 4.0.
May 2025
China launches a 2030 action plan to strengthen its national metrology capabilities, focusing on advanced semiconductor, quantum, and rare earth measurement technologies.
Jun 2025
Shanghai venture capital firm ChinaLink ESG, led by a Spanish entrepreneur, signs with China’s leading quantum company, Origin, for a joint quantum computing center in the Spanish tech hub Malaga.
Oct 2025
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has reportedly developed a new quantum computing architecture based on fiber optic arrays that addresses a key challenge for quantum computing operations.
Nov 2025
China has reportedly unveiled a new photonic quantum chip for complex computing tasks designed to speed up calculations by a thousandfold.
Nov 2025
Recent developments
- Huawei and the Quantum Science Center of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area agreed on a broad-based collaboration to integrate quantum computing, supercomputing, and AI computing, e.g., to leverage AI in quantum material research. (Source (CN): Xinhua, August 6, 2026)
- Shanghai-based Bouchow Quantum (不筹量子) launched “Q Cub” (量筹一号), a neutral atom quantum AI foundation model that aims to support the technical development of quantum computing in parallel to application testing. (Source (CN): STDaily, July 23, 2026)
- Startup Zhongqi Wuliang (众擎无量) introduced Qinghe No. 1 (清河一号), a neutral-atom quantum computer engineered to fit into a standard data-center server rack, pitched as a step away from bulky cryogenic refrigeration in enterprise quantum deployments. (Source (EN): Quantum Computing Report, July 20, 2026)
- China launched its first integrated “post-quantum” computing security platform to promote the integration of quantum cryptography and domestic hardware, as well as related standards. (Source (CN): STDaily, July 21, 2026)
- Origin Quantum managed to raise nearly CNY 3 billion in pre-IPO funding, reaching a pre-money valuation of CNY 21 billion. This makes it the highest-valued quantum computing company in China. (Source (CN): eefocus, June 8, 2026)
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