Commentary
In “2030: How Today’s Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything,” the author Mauro F. Guillén argues that breakthroughs “occur not when someone works within the established paradigm but when assumptions are abandoned, rules are ignored, and creativity runs amok.”
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), not known for working within established paradigms, and more known for ignoring basic rules, is busy making breakthroughs of its own. By 2030, as I will show in this short piece, the CCP may very well run the world.
A terrifying thought. If some authors are to be believed, the United States and China are destined for war. Rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal, China could have at least 700 nuclear warheads by 2027; by 2030, more than 1,000. The United States, however, has many more.
But the wars of tomorrow will have less to do with traditional nuclear warheads, and much more to do with newer forms of technology. This is where China has the advantage, and this is why the regime is such a threat.
China’s Quantum Leap
Quantum computers, we’re told, will win the next world war. That’s good news for China. Quantum computers process information in a fundamentally different way to classical computers. They are many times faster.In fact, Google’s quantum computer (Sycamore) processes information 100 million times faster than any classical computer. Rather impressive, right? But not as impressive as China’s quantum computers.
As the author Dave Makichuk wrote last year, China’s quantum computers have “the ability to handle calculations that are 100 times more complex than what Google’s Sycamore can handle.” China now holds a “quantum computational advantage” over the United States. In other words, China is winning the quantum race.
Tensions between the United States and China are at an all-time high. Discussing the importance of quantum computing, including the weaponization of powerful technology, has never been more necessary. The encryption used to keep our data safe, including our bank account details and private emails, is no match for quantum technology.
U.S. federal agencies like the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Pentagon are already easy targets for hackers. Imagine the damage that will be caused by hackers armed with quantum technology.
The aforementioned agencies suffer from what experts call poor cyber hygiene. This means that practices and precautions used to keep data safe and secure from attackers are, at best, insufficient. This explains why CCP-backed hackers have already stolen the data of at least 206 million Americans.
Remember, this data was stolen with normal computers. Quantum computing is set to change the landscape of data security, and the United States is woefully unprepared for the attacks of tomorrow.
The threat posed by foreign actors, especially those backed by the CCP, cannot be emphasized enough. The U.S. electric grid—the very thing that connects the country’s homes, schools, businesses, and cities—is particularly vulnerable.
In January 2014, unable to withstand freezing temperatures, Texas’ power grid buckled. As The Texas Tribune reported, “generators failed more than a dozen times in 12 hours, helping to bring the state’s electric grid to the brink of collapse.” Dozens of people died, including an 11-year-old boy.
Seven years later, yet again, the Texan power grid buckled, and the state suffered another power outage. On this occasion, in Houston alone, 50 residents died, according to The Washington Post.
People take shelter at Gallery Furniture store after winter weather caused electricity blackouts in Houston, Texas, on Feb.18, 2021. Go Nakamura/Getty Images
Which brings us back to quantum computers, the weaponization of powerful tech, and the potential threats facing the American people. The U.S. power grid is protected through encryption, which, as I have already mentioned, can easily be undone by quantum technology.
A shutdown of the U.S. power grid is entirely possible. Worse still, it’s highly likely. Such an attack, as Forbes noted earlier last year, “could be the most catastrophic disaster our country has ever experienced”—many times worse than 9/11, arguably the worst day in the United States’ history.
Theoretically, quantum technology could shut down numerous power grids across the country, from New York to California, Maine to Mississippi. As China’s cyber capabilities grow, protecting the U.S. power grid should be a national priority. The crisis in Ukraine should not distract officials at home from being proactive. Time is very much of the essence.
By 2030, through the creation of an established quantum communication network, China’s quantum prowess looks likely to reach new heights. To add, less than a decade from now, the most dangerous country could have its own quantum internet, which will be unhackable and far more potent than the current iteration of the internet. This will make China’s cyber operatives a far more formidable threat.
Quantum computing is just one area where China is outmuscling the United States. In other areas, like artificial intelligence (AI) and biotech, for example, China is also moving ahead. By 2030, China will, according to people very much in the know, lead the world in AI. According to researchers at Brookings, by 2030, whoever leads the world in AI will essentially rule the world.
The threat posed by communist China comes in many forms. Although its military is highly impressive, its technological advancements are many times more impressive—and many times more concerning.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
