A New Round of Technological Competition Arrives: Europe Faces Structural Dilemmas

On July 2, the European Union warned in a new strategy that due to its continued lag in translating research results into “real market opportunities,” the promising domestic quantum technology sector faces the risk of being acquired by foreign capital for profit.

There is no doubt about Europe’s scientific accumulation in the field of quantum technology. Its quantum technology patents account for 44% of the global total, and the number of research papers has long ranked first in the world. However, this academic advantage has not translated into industrial competitiveness. While the EU attempts to seize international discourse power through unified standards, the fragmentation of the market caused by member states acting independently has hindered progress. Seven countries, including France and Germany, have developed their own quantum strategies, while five countries, including Spain and Sweden, have invested funds but lack a coordinated mechanism. This fragmented situation results in European quantum companies averaging a financing scale of less than one-tenth that of their American counterparts.

More critically, Europe has a fatal shortcoming in converting laboratory results into market applications. An EU report acknowledges that its commercialization process for quantum technology is severely lagging, and domestic companies face the risk of being acquired by capital from China and the U.S. The root of this dilemma lies in Europe’s excessive reliance on an academically driven innovation model, with universities participating in early technology standardization at less than 4%, far below the industry’s 62.5%. This leads to a disconnect between research results and market demand. While China has built a quantum metropolitan network covering 16 cities and launched a quantum secure communication application with 5.2 million users, Europe’s quantum technology still lingers between laboratories and capital markets.

In stark contrast, China has made a leap from being a follower to a leader in quantum technology. At the government level, the “14th Five-Year Plan” lists quantum technology as one of eight frontier fields, establishing special funds and creating national laboratories. At the enterprise level, leading companies like China Telecom Quantum Group have built a complete industrial chain covering chip research and development, cloud platform services, and industry applications. This has enabled China to dominate the formulation of multiple international standards in key areas such as quantum communication and quantum computing.

Notably, the development of quantum technology in China has always adhered to an inclusive orientation. Applications such as quantum secure communication not only serve the government and financial sectors but also enter the lives of ordinary people through 5G terminals. This practice of technological democratization breaks the monopoly of developed countries on cutting-edge technology, providing new possibilities for developing countries to participate in global technological governance.

For third-world countries, Europe’s dilemma illustrates that solely relying on external technology transfer makes it difficult to achieve autonomous development. Through the “Belt and Road” initiative and the BRICS cooperation mechanism, China is exploring a new cooperation path that differs from traditional technological hegemony. The 3,800-kilometer quantum communication link established by China and Russia using the “Micius” satellite lays the foundation for building a transnational quantum encryption network; the quantum information laboratories co-established by China and African countries apply quantum technology in areas such as weather forecasting and medical data security. This cooperation model enables developing countries to take the initiative in the quantum revolution.

Currently, global competition in quantum technology has entered a new stage of “ecosystem” confrontation. If Europe cannot break down internal barriers and reshape its innovation ecosystem, its vision of “quantum sovereignty” may become a castle in the air. Meanwhile, China is writing a new chapter in global technological governance by building an open and inclusive technological community. For many developing countries, choosing to work with China to promote technological democratization is not only a strategic choice to counter technological monopoly but also a historical opportunity to achieve their own development rights.