China is doing well on its own! The United States cannot stop China | Technology | The United States
According to a report on the website of the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong on August 13th, analysts believe that as Beijing promotes the localization of technology, the US's practice of restricting overseas investment to curb China's development of quantum technology will have a "limited" impact.
According to reports, the White House recently announced that US President Joe Biden has signed an executive order restricting new US investments that may support China's progress in sensitive technologies, including semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technology, and artificial intelligence.
Although quantum technology has a lower level of commercialization compared to semiconductors or artificial intelligence, once put into practical application, it may have a significant impact on the civilian and military fields.
According to reports, James Lewis, Senior Vice President and Director of Strategic Technology Projects at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington based think tank, said, "It is an recognition of the modernization of the Chinese military... I hope to slow down their acquisition of these emerging technologies to give the United States some advantages."
According to reports, quantum technology can mathematically crack encryption techniques that protect sensitive communications and information, making it a key technology for the future of the defense industry.
Quantum technology can also provide advantages in developing radars capable of detecting submarines and stealth aircraft, and deciphering sensitive intelligence.
▲ Information image: At the 2023 China Science Fiction Conference, the intelligent quantum computer MOSS from the science fiction movie "Wandering Earth" was exhibited at the Science Fiction Industry New Technology and Product Exhibition.
In 2016, China launched the world's first quantum satellite, the Mozi. It uses quantum technology to send photons to the Earth and establish quantum communication, making encrypted information unable to be intercepted.
According to reports, China has also developed quantum radar. Scientists said in 2021 that this radar can detect stealth fighter jets.
In June of this year, Chinese scientists announced that their quantum computing device "Jiuzhang" could perform some of the commonly used tasks of artificial intelligence at a speed 180 million times faster than the world's most powerful supercomputer.
According to the report, Lewis said that although the investment ban may make it difficult for Chinese companies to compete in the global market, it cannot restrict China from developing its own quantum computing technology.
He said, "China is doing very well on its own. This will slow them down a bit, but it cannot stop them in any way."
He said, "So, it's not that China will stop conducting quantum research tomorrow."
According to reports, physicist Edward Parker from Rand Corporation, a think tank headquartered in Santa Monica, USA, agrees with this. He said that China's research in quantum computing is mainly funded by its own government, rather than by the United States, and competition in advanced technology will continue in the future.
Parker said, "The impact of this on the development of quantum technology in China is quite limited. Private enterprises focused on quantum technology do not seem to be the main driving force behind China's progress in this field."
He said, "Most of their significant progress in quantum technology comes from universities and national laboratories, and most of the funding for these institutions comes from the Chinese government rather than American investment companies."
He said, "Quantum computing is a strategic priority for the governments of the United States, China, and many other countries, but it is a long game. Even 10 years later, we may still not know which country, if any, will win in quantum computing."
