As the global push for fully operational quantum systems heats up, let’s take a brief examination of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan and Vision 2035 to make quantum information a core part of its next growth chapter. The 14th Plan, which runs from 2021 to 2025, expands Quantum’s role from secure links to computing and sensing. It appears three times more often in the text than in the previous plan, showing how much weight Beijing now gives to this field.
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The policy document, issued by the State Council, groups quantum with AI, photonics, and new materials. Together, they form what officials refer to as the “deep tech” stack, which will support the country’s drive for tech self-reliance.
From Labs to Real Projects
China’s quantum work already covers satellites, computers, and sensors. The 2016 launch of the Micius satellite created the world’s first space-based quantum communication link. Companies like Origin Quantum, Alibaba Group (BABA), and Baidu (BIDU) built early quantum computers. Although Alibaba and Baidu later closed their quantum teams, state-backed projects in Anhui and Jiangsu now focus on photonic systems.
The plan also calls for national labs in quantum information, photonics, and nano-electronics. This shows a move from lab research to applied projects such as quantum communication networks between major cities.
Broader Goals, Fewer Details
The 14th Plan treats quantum as a pillar of future industries, but it remains more vision than blueprint. It lists no spending levels, deadlines, or hardware goals. Instead, it signals direction. Real budgets and timelines will depend on ministries and provinces that carry out the plan.
China’s system works from top to bottom. The central plan sets priorities, ministries assign funding, and provinces create labs or venture funds to match national goals. Fujian’s English release of the plan even invites global partners to join within those limits.
Global Context
Western programs are more open and specialized. The United States’ National Quantum Initiative focuses on coordination among labs and firms, while Europe’s Quantum Flagship supports cross-border research. China’s plan wraps all of that into one national modernization drive that also ties quantum to AI and energy.
The shift marks a long-term push. Even though the 14th Plan stays broad and aspirational, it puts quantum squarely inside China’s economic and tech strategy. The next plan, from 2026 to 2030, will show if that vision turns into large-scale systems or stays mostly within research zones.
Using TipRanks’ Comparison Tool, we’ve selected four key Chinese companies active in AI and quantum technology. The tool offers investors a clear view of how each stock stacks up and helps put China’s broader AI sector into perspective.
