China Solidifies Quantum Leadership in 15th Five-Year Plan with Focus on PQC Standards

The People's Republic of China has formally integrated the advancement of quantum technologies into its list of vital strategic industries within the recently approved 15th Five-Year Plan, which covers the period from 2026 to 2030. This policy shift was announced following the conclusion of the National People's Congress sessions in March 2026, highlighting a state-driven mandate to achieve technological self-reliance and rapid commercialization in the sector. Zhang Yunming, the Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology, identified quantum computing as a primary driver of growth under the national "high-quality development" strategy, which focuses on implementing sophisticated manufacturing technologies.

Alongside state-level planning, there is significant momentum in the field of post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Professor Wang Xiaoyun, who serves as the President of the Chinese Association for Cryptologic Research and is a professor at Tsinghua University, anticipates that national PQC standards will be established within the next three years. She suggests that the three-to-five-year period following this milestone will trigger a phase of "potential explosive growth" for the migration of the post-quantum cryptography industry.

Chinese research efforts are specifically concentrating on "structural lattice" algorithms. Professor Wang Xiaoyun asserts that these algorithms are resilient against the security degradation observed in international standards based on algebraic lattices, such as the protocols finalized by the United States in 2024. This focus on independent algorithmic development is a key component of China's strategy to ensure long-term cryptographic security.

In February 2026, the Hefei-based company Origin Quantum Computing Technology Co. took a significant step toward making quantum computing more accessible by releasing a dedicated operating system known as "Origin Pilot." This system represents a global milestone as the first quantum OS available for direct download without the requirement of non-disclosure agreements. Initially introduced as a concept in 2021, "Origin Pilot" now supports major technological modalities, including superconducting qubits, ion traps, and neutral atoms, and has been integrated into the company's third-generation quantum hardware, the Origin Wukong series.

Guo Guoping, the Chief Scientist at Origin Quantum, described this operating system as the "soft heart" of the quantum computing ecosystem. In contrast to the cloud-centric services provided by Western entities—such as IBM’s Qiskit or Google’s Cirq—"Origin Pilot" is designed as a comprehensive OS for local deployment. It manages critical system integration tasks, including resource scheduling, automated qubit calibration, noise mitigation, and the orchestration of hybrid quantum-classical workflows, all intended to lower barriers for developers and foster a sovereign software environment.

A comparison of implementation timelines reveals China's aggressive approach toward PQC adoption. While South Korea aims for a transition in essential sectors between 2025 and 2028, and the United States plans for a full migration by 2035, China’s three-year forecast for national standards is notably more accelerated. This focus on PQC is bolstered by existing milestones in quantum communication; for instance, in May 2025, China Telecom Quantum Group demonstrated a secure call over a distance exceeding 960 kilometers between Beijing and Hefei using the world's first commercial quantum cryptography system. Consequently, the national strategy encompasses both cryptographic defense and the development of computing infrastructure to achieve total sovereignty across the quantum stack.