After three years of construction, a 712-km quantum communication line has opened in east China, making it the world's longest secure quantum telecommunications network in use.

The new quantum communication line links Hefei, capital of Anhui Province, to Shanghai. It is part of a 2,000-km quantum communication line connecting Beijing and Shanghai, according to Chen Yu'ao, professor at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei and chief engineer of the Beijing-Shanghai quantum communication line.

The 712-km line has 11 stations, according to Chen.

Quantum communication lines boasts ultra-high security. It is impossible to wiretap, intercept or crack the information transmitted through them.

Experts from 18 countries witnessed a secure remote video meeting between Hefei and Shanghai via the quantum line at a recent international conference on quantum technology.

The Beijing-Shanghai quantum communication line is expected to be completed at the end of this year.

In August, China successfully launched the world's first quantum satellite. It was nicknamed "Micius" after a fifth century BC Chinese philosopher and scientist.

The Beijing-Shanghai quantum communication line will be connected to the satellite through the line's station in Beijing, enabling the space-to-Earth quantum communication network.

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