BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's scientific and technological workers have made great efforts to catch up in quantum science and technology and made a number of significant innovations with international influence.

The following are some key facts about the country's achievements in quantum science and technology:

-- In 2013, Chinese scientists reported the first experimental observation of the quantum anomalous Hall effect, making a breakthrough in the field of condensed matter physics.

-- On Aug. 16, 2016, China launched the world's first quantum satellite -- Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS) -- nicknamed "Micius" after an ancient Chinese philosopher.

-- In May 2017, Chinese scientists built the world's first quantum computing machine that goes beyond the early classical computers, paving the way to the ultimate realization of quantum computing beating classical computers.

-- With the QUESS, in June 2017 Chinese scientists realized the satellite-based distribution of entangled photon pairs over a record distance of more than 1,200 km, a major breakthrough that could be used to deliver secure messages.

-- In September 2017, a 2,000-km quantum communication line was opened between Beijing and Shanghai. Connected to the QUESS, it was the world's first trunk line for secure quantum telecommunications.

-- A team of Chinese researchers announced in March 2020 that they had demonstrated a secure key distribution that breaks the absolute key-rate limit of quantum key distribution over a 509-km-long ultralow loss optical fiber, setting a new world record.