China working on encryption that can't be cracked by tomorrow's computers

China will likely develop national standards for post-quantum cryptography in the next three years as it pours funds into research, according to a leading expert in the field.

Governments around the world are rushing to develop post-quantum cryptography algorithms designed to be secure against future quantum computers which would be so powerful that current encryption methods would be rendered useless.

China's new five-year plan released last week elevated quantum technology to a core future strategic industry alongside sectors such as embodied AI, nuclear fusion and brain-computer interfaces, and outlined its goal to develop a scalable quantum computer.

The US finalised its first set of post-quantum cryptography standards in 2024 and is aiming to achieve full industry migration by 2035. China last year, however, issued a global call to solicit new standards.

Finance and energy would be the priority sectors for migration to post-quantum cryptography given the sensitivity of the data, said Wang Xiaoyun, professor at Tsinghua University's Institute for Advanced Study.

"I personally think that the next three-to-five-year period is potentially one of explosive growth for post-quantum cryptography industry migration (in China)," she said on the sidelines of the National People's Congress parliamentary meetings in Beijing that concluded last week.

Unlike most international researchers in the US and elsewhere, Chinese post-quantum cryptographers have focused on developing "structureless lattice" algorithms like S-Cloud+.

International standards based on algebraic lattices "have some degree of security degradation," Wang said. "But structureless cryptographic algorithms basically do not have this problem."

In a first, China made a homegrown operating system for quantum computers that is open source available for online download last month, state media reported.

Google and other tech industry leaders have urged governments to accelerate adoption of post-quantum cryptography. The Trump administration's cyber strategy, released last week, pledges to sustain US dominance in post-quantum cryptography and artificial intelligence.

South Korea plans to implement post-quantum cryptography across a broad range of industries by 2035, with a pilot 2025-2028 transition plan targeting critical sectors like energy and healthcare.

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