The concerns echo — although to a lesser degree — the shock in the West six decades ago when the Soviets launched the Sputnik satellite, sparking a space race.

In quick succession, China in recent months has utilized a quantum satellite to transmit ultra-secure data, inaugurated a 1,243-mile quantum link between Shanghai and Beijing, and announced a $10 billion quantum computing center.

"To me, what is alarming is the level of coordination of what they've done," said Christopher Monroe, a physicist and pioneer in quantum communication at the University of Maryland.