China's Great Wall holds the key to quantum future

Elsa B. Kania

<p>Hongtao Yang, Weijian Zhao, Shu Fu</p>

With the development of technology, quantum technology with enormous military value has become a key technology related to national information security in the application and development of communication systems. The application of quantum communication technology in military and civilian research is of great significance for China’s future information network construction, as well as the safety of people’s lives and property. One need to increase investment in technology, increase investment in technology, and establish a sound policy system and institutional mechanisms. Only by increasing the promotion of this project can one further promote the development of military civilian integration of quantum communication technology in China and gradually establish a strong quantum communication information network. This article introduced the principles and development of quantum communication, and verified through simulation experiments that quantum technology communication has a lower bit error rate and better performance compared to traditional communication systems.

Matthew Sparkes

Zhenyu Li, Jie Liu, Xiangjian Shen +1 more

This article has summarized the main academic communications from the forum titled as “Theoretical Chemistry in the Age of Quantum Computational Chemistry” which has been granted by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and held in Hefei on July 31, 2022. Firstly, the main characters of quantum-computational chemistry (QCC) have been introduced. And some current important challenges of the QCC are also pointed out. Secondly, we have mainly discussed the progress of the QCC in China and new research directions based on current noisy and future fault-tolerant quantum computing platforms. At the same time, in order to meet the major technical needs in future developments, some key scientific issues in this field are suggested in the next 5–10 years, and some strategic suggestions for strengthening the support of NSFC were proposed.

Elsa B. Kania

Khurram Shahzad Siddiqui

This article examines the intensifying strategic competition between the United States and China across three interrelated domains of quantum technology: quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum communications. Drawing on a qualitative comparative case-study methodology and engaging with theoretical frameworks of techno-nationalism, great-power competition, and military innovation, the article argues that quantum technologies have transcended their origins as instruments of scientific discovery and are now emerging as critical vectors of national power. Quantum capabilities hold the potential to compromise existing encryption architectures, transform battlefield intelligence and surveillance, revolutionise secure command-and-control communications, and render certain conventional deterrent postures strategically vulnerable. The article analyses the strategic investments, institutional ecosystems, and policy architectures through which both states are mobilising quantum capabilities, and it assesses the implications for military advantage, nuclear deterrence, and strategic stability. It concludes that the quantum race introduces new forms of uncertainty and instability into an already fraught great-power relationship, and that the absence of governance mechanisms or confidence-building measures in this domain represents a significant gap in international security architecture. The article contributes to the growing literature on emerging technology and strategic competition by offering a comprehensive comparative assessment of quantum power in the context of U.S.-China rivalry.