BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- A 2,000-km quantum communication line was opened between Beijing and Shanghai on Friday.
The line is the world's first trunk line for secure quantum telecommunications. Known as the Jing-Hu, or Beijing-Shanghai, Trunk Line, it connects Beijing, Jinan, Hefei and Shanghai.
The line is connected to the world's first quantum satellite, which was launched by China in August last year, through a station in Beijing. The satellite is nicknamed "Micius," after a fifth century B.C. Chinese philosopher and scientist who has been credited as the first person to conduct optical experiments.
Bai Chunli, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), talked with staff in Hefei, Jinan, Shanghai and the Urumqi ground station on Friday afternoon.
He also had a video call with Austrian quantum physicist Anton Zeilinger, through the satellite.
Zeilinger expressed congratulations on the achievements by Chinese scientists in the field of quantum communication.
Quantum communications have ultra-high security. It is impossible to wiretap, intercept or crack the information transmitted through them.
Chinese businesses, including the Bank of Communications, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and Alibaba have used the network.
"The tests today for long-distance and multi-station communication show that our network is stable, compatible and good for practical use," said Pan Jianwei, lead scientist of the line.
"In the future, quantum communication will be applied in fields of finance, political affairs and national defense. We will build a whole industry chain and eventually build a truly secure quantum internet," said Pan.
