Quantum Statecraft: Policy, Power, and the Next Tech Frontier
From Cache Me If You Can by Center for Strategic and International Studies
January 21, 2026 · 26 min
About this episode
This episode explores the implications of quantum technology in U.S.-China strategic competition with insights from Dr. James (Jim) Lewis.
In this episode of Cache Me if You Can, we dive into quantum technology and why it’s quickly becoming one of the most consequential frontiers in U.S.-China strategic competition. Once confined to research labs and academic theory, quantum is now moving toward real-world applications that could reshape cybersecurity, intelligence collection, advanced sensing, and the global balance of power. Our guest, Dr. James (Jim) Lewis, former director of the Strategic Technologies Program at CSIS, draws on decades of experience spanning cyber policy, export controls, and high-tech competition with China to unpack what’s real, what’s hype, and what’s at stake. We discuss how quantum computing could threaten today’s encryption, why quantum sensing may arrive sooner than people think, how Beijing is investing to gain an edge, and what U.S. policymakers must do to sustain leadership, from funding and commercialization to workforce development and quantum-safe security standards.
People in this episode
Guest: Dr. James (Jim) Lewis
Topics covered
- quantum technology
- U.S.-China strategic competition
- cybersecurity
- intelligence collection
- advanced sensing
- quantum computing
- policy
Keywords
- quantum technology
- cybersecurity
- U.S.-China competition
- quantum computing
- encryption
- quantum sensing
- policy
- high-tech competition
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Center for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS
Places: U.S., China, Beijing
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