Quantum technology is one of the sharpest fronts in the broader technology competition between China and the United States. China has built the world’s most extensive quantum communication infrastructure. In quantum computing, it trails Google and IBM but is advancing rapidly. Understanding China’s quantum strategy is essential for anyone tracking the global technology landscape.
## Quantum Communication: A Clear Global Lead
The **Beijing–Shanghai quantum backbone network**, completed in 2017, stretches roughly 2,000 km through major Chinese cities, with 32 trusted relay nodes. It carries terabit-scale daily key volume and has been used to protect financial transactions and government communications.
The **Micius satellite** (launched 2016) demonstrated satellite-based QKD at distances exceeding 1,200 km in 2017, enabled intercontinental QKD between Beijing and Vienna in 2018, and in 2022 achieved daytime satellite-to-ground QKD — previously only possible at night. China plans to launch a constellation of quantum satellites by 2030 to form a global quantum communication backbone.
## Quantum Computing: Jiuzhang and Zuchongzhi
USTC’s team, led by Jian-Wei Pan, has produced several milestones in quick succession:
**Jiuzhang (2020)**: a 50-photon boson sampling machine claimed to be 100 trillion times faster than classical supercomputers on its specific sampling task.
**Jiuzhang 2.0 (2021)**: 113 photons, extending the demonstration further.
**Zuchongzhi (2021)**: a 66-qubit superconducting processor that achieved quantum supremacy on random circuit sampling — the same type of benchmark as Google’s Sycamore.
**Zuchongzhi 2.0 (2023)**: improved qubit count and gate fidelity, narrowing the gap with leading Western systems.
## National Strategy
China has embedded quantum technology throughout its national planning:
The **14th Five-Year Plan** (2021–2025) lists quantum information as one of seven frontier science priorities. The **National Laboratory for Quantum Information Science** in Hefei, approved in 2017 and operational from 2023, received approximately ¥7.6 billion in initial funding and focuses on computing, communication, and sensing.
Major Chinese technology companies — Alibaba (DAMO Academy), Baidu, Huawei, and Tencent — have all launched quantum computing divisions. Alibaba has developed a 100-qubit superconducting processor.
## The US-China Dimension
The U.S. has placed several Chinese quantum research institutions on export control lists, restricting access to advanced quantum hardware components (dilution refrigerators, low-noise amplifiers, quantum detectors). China is accelerating domestic development of these components to reduce vulnerability to supply chain restrictions. The 2022 CHIPS and Science Act includes dedicated quantum funding.
China’s lead in quantum communication is durable for the near term. In quantum computing, U.S. companies maintain an advantage in qubit count and error rates, but the gap is narrowing. The competitive landscape for quantum technology leadership in the 2030s remains genuinely open.
For background, see [Quantum Internet](https://sunqi.org/quantum-internet-en/) and [Quantum Supremacy Milestones](https://sunqi.org/quantum-supremacy-milestones-en/).
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