A discovery in ultra-secure contacts with profound defense and political implications is China’s primary quantum-encrypted hyperlink with South Africa.
South China Morning Post (SCMP ) reported this month that China has established its first quantum communication link that is hacker-resistant with South Africa, a milestone in ultra-secure communications.
Quantum computing uses concepts like superposition and entanglement to solve complex problems at a speed that is exponentially faster than that of traditional computers, using quantum bits (qubits ) to carry out calculations.
Quantum computers can represent and quantify multiple state at once, opening up new computation choices in contrast to the latter’s with binary bits ( 0s and 1s ).
It also relies on particles to have data for ultra-secure communications. Photons have a sensitive quantum behavior that causes any attempt to see or interfere to change their state, revealing any eavesdropping.
Quantum important transmission over a 12, 800-kilometer website, facilitated by the Mozi dish, launched in 2016, was a feature disclosed by Yin Juan, a scientist at the University of Science and Technology of China during the National People’s Congress.
It marks the second study of this kind in the Southwestern Hemisphere, which advances global efforts to develop international classical communication systems that are defamatory of surveillance.
As exemplified by China’s 2025 financial plan’s emphasis on emerging technologies, the task aligns with its wider innovation and modern self-reliance goals.
Yin cited the low-cost quantum micro-nano satellites and smart ground stations as the means of safe communications. The results are anticipated to be published in the peer-reviewed blog Nature.
China’s goal is to integrate quantum communications into the BRICS bloc and have international coverage by 2027, which also plays a role in the initiative’s geopolitical connotations.
The Trump presidency has even cut support and guidance to South Africa as a result of this classical discovery, which Pretoria has denied because a new regulation punitively targets Afrikaners on racial lines. The US expelled South Africa’s embassy from Washington on Friday in a strange walk.
China’s advancements in quantum technology demonstrate its commitment to achieving global leadership in disruptive technologies, positioning classical communications as a key component of national security and financial security.
In a February 2023 article for the Joint Airpower Competence Center ( JAPCC ) journal, Michal Krelina and Denis Dbavk discuss the strategic military benefits of quantum technology by expanding capabilities in sensing, communication, and computing.
Quantum sensors, such as quantum magnetometers and gravimeters, significantly improve intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance ( ISR ) in the eyes of Krelina and Dávk, which are used to detect submarines, mines, and secret underground structures. They claim that even in harsher environments like those impacted by clouds, dust, or dust, quantum radar and imaging offer higher targets detection, stealth detection, and target identification.
Quantum Key Distribution ( QKD ) is said to make secure, eavesdropping-resistant communications possible for defense operations.
Moreover, they claim that while classical technology is still developing, it can reach exponential mathematical speeds, probably transforming ISR data processing, machine learning applications, and intricate aerodynamic simulations.
Nelson Roso makes a point about the technological difficulties that martial applications for quantum technology face, not least of which is operating resilience in harsh environments.
According to Roso, classical systems are susceptible to environmental factors like temperature fluctuations, electric interference, and real shocks in military environments, which could threaten the stability of delicate classical states.
Interoperability with older communication systems is another important issue that Roso raises, necessitating broad adaptations to easily combine delicate quantum signals with traditional infrastructures without sacrificing security or effectiveness.
Additionally, he claims that there are difficulties with designing quantum networks, such as overcoming QKD’s natural distance restrictions through quantum repeaters and quantum satellites, to ensure solid and secure worldwide military communications.
In a September 2023 Expeditions content, Daniel Choi mentions that classical satellite systems improves military operations by allowing safe and almost impenetrable communication through QKD, which identifies any intercepts based on the principles of quantum physics.
Choi claims that quantum communication networks could integrate geographically dispersed military units with unmatched security, enabling coordinated operations that are immune from cyber espionage threats.
In addition, he claims that quantum inertial navigation systems offer exceptional accuracy and assure precise positioning even in GPS-deficient environments, independent of weak GPS signals. These advancements significantly shorten the time it takes to respond to global crises and transform strategic capabilities beyond regional boundaries.
A ground-based laser with a moderate power of 1 kilowatt can potentially infiltrate a quantum communications satellite’s QKD channel, severely increasing the quantum bit error rate ( QBER ) to levels that prevent secure key generation, according to David Gozzard and other authors in a 2021 article for the Sensors peer-reviewed journal.
They point out that photons from these lasers can be detected on satellite surfaces, especially those covered in reflective materials, causing enough noise to be absorbed by the ground-based QKD receiver.
According to modeling based on the Chinese Mozi satellite design, this completely disrupts key generation, which poses a serious threat to the development of satellite-based secure communications.
However, Gozzard and others point out that quantum communications satellites could be made to reduce reflection and light scattering, necessitated by ground-based lasers to raise their output to achieve interference.
In a January 2023 article for the Communication Physics peer-reviewed journal, Laurent de Forges de Parny and other authors mention how atmospheric phenomena like clouds, aerosols, and atmospheric turbulence affect optical data links between quantum satellites and their ground stations.
China’s push to integrate its quantum technology into the BRICS bloc on a strategic level aims to bolster its position by stabilizing strategic alliances, boosting technological standards, and enabling power projection.
In a March 2023 Council on Foreign Relations article, Joseph Kurlantzick makes reference to China’s intention to” control” the “pipes” of information, such as global information networks, as well as their related physical infrastructure and standards.
Kurlantzick contends that China could use the information pipes to censor negative stories while using them to spread favorable ones. He claims that this will allow China to spread its alternative viewpoints on international relations based on non-ingering in other nations ‘ internal affairs.
He contends that China might use this influence to encourage other nations to imitate China’s model of a closed and regulated domestic internet, imitating China’s technology-enabled authoritarianism.
Dustin Carmack also discusses the US-China quantum arms race in an April 2023 Heritage Foundation report, focusing on the implications for national security of quantum technology.
Carmack claims that while China has aggressively invested in quantum computing, encryption, and communication, the US is using a whole-of-government and whole-of-industry strategy to maintain leadership. He claims that China’s advancements in quantum cryptanalysis pose a direct threat to US encryption, which might make it possible to decrypt sensitive data.
Qubits allow quantum computers to quickly solve the complex math required to defeat conventional binary encryption algorithms, which would require billions of years for conventional binary computers.
Carmack mentions the US’s response by putting Chinese companies on blacklist, facilitating post-quantum encryption, and encouraging international collaborations. He contends that the geopolitical landscape of the 21st century will be shaped by the quantum race, with military, cybersecurity, and economic dimensions influencing the outcome.