Both China and the US are aiming to pull ahead with quantum computingShutterstock/Niphon SubsriQuantum computers were once nothing more than a plaything for physicists, but as their capabilities have grown, so too has the attention from governments. The US, China and European nations are all racing to develop these exotic machines, while carefully balancing national security needs with commercial opportunities. But have they got the balance right?The first nation to develop a sufficiently powerful quantum computer will be able to crack many encryption algorithms in use today and gain access to the rest of the worlds