China is developing its own post-quantum cryptography standards, expected within three years, rather than adopting NIST's ML-KEM, ML-DSA, and SLH-DSA standards. Chinese researchers, led by prominent cryptographer Wang Xiaoyun, favor structureless lattice algorithms over the algebraic lattice designs used in NIST standards, arguing the latter have potential security weaknesses. This creates a compliance dilemma for organizations operating in China: deploy NIST algorithms now to guard against 'harvest now, decrypt later' attacks, or wait for Chinese standards and leave data exposed. NIST itself acknowledged lattice risks by selecting HQC as a backup standard. Experts advise starting hybrid deployments immediately rather than waiting, while also noting China's push reflects both genuine security concerns and a desire for cryptographic sovereignty.
Sort: