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U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly intends to remove Billy Long as the IRS Commissioner. In his stead, the president will nominate pro-crypto Scott Bessent, who is also the Treasury Secretary, to serve as the acting Commissioner. Donald Trump Removes IRS Commissioner, Names Bessent As Acting Head According to a Bloomberg report, the president plans to
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A recent Cambridge report confirms that the United States now leads global Bitcoin mining, prompting questions about how China will respond. Though the country has long held an anti-crypto stance, Chinese mining pools have historically controlled a substantial portion of the global Bitcoin hashrate.
The US’s current competitive edge and renewed hostility over trade policy might motivate China to recapitulate. BeInCrypto spoke with representatives from The Coin Bureau and Wanchain to understand what might encourage China to change its stance toward digital assets.
The US has firmly established itself as the world’s largest Bitcoin mining hub. A recent Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) report revealed that the US accounts for 75.4% of the reported hashrate.
This newest development confirms a notable reversal of power over Bitcoin mining dominance. China emerged as the world’s leading Bitcoin mining nation as early as 2017, leveraging its extensive mining infrastructure and low electricity costs to contribute upwards of 75% of the global hash rate at one point.
Yet, the country would later crack down on the industry.
In 2019, the National Development and Reform Commission of China (NDRC) signaled its intention to prohibit cryptocurrency mining by releasing a draft law categorizing it as an “undesirable industry.”
Two years later, at least four Chinese provinces began shutting down mining operations. These crackdowns intensified amid concerns over excessive energy consumption.
Toward the end of 2021, the government declared all crypto-related transactions illegal, further solidifying the ban and prohibiting overseas exchanges from serving Chinese citizens.
However, China possesses a proven capacity to adjust to geopolitical shifts that could jeopardize its economic dominance, and the current environment may present such a challenge.
Even with China’s official stance toward crypto, mining activity has not stopped within the region. In July 2024, Bitcoin environmental impact analyst Daniel Batten reported that the hashrate within China currently accounts for approximately 15% of the global total.
“Despite the official ban, the infrastructure is already in place: from offshore mining to cross-border trading hubs. With more global momentum behind crypto adoption and the US taking the lead, China may find itself incentivized to lean in more strategically, even if unofficially,” Nic Puckrin, Co-founder of the Coin Bureau, told BeInCrypto.
China also has a geographical advantage over the United States, especially regarding technological advancements.
Crypto mining, especially for proof-of-work cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, depends on Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) equipment to handle the necessary complex calculations for validation and mining.
China’s position as a top exporter of crypto mining hardware, particularly to the US, gives it a potential advantage should it decide to revive its mining sector.
The unfolding tariff dispute between the two nations adds a layer of uncertainty to the long-term cost efficiency of US mining operations.
Puckrin believes that the combination of trade friction and the US’s invigorated push for crypto dominance might be sufficient to make China reconsider its position.
“It’s unlikely China will make a public U-turn on its crypto mining and trading ban anytime soon. However, with US-based miners accounting for higher and higher proportions of Bitcoin’s hashrate, China is bound to be paying attention and may well be quietly reassessing its stance,” Puckrin told BeInCrypto.
However, China has strategies beyond restarting its Bitcoin mining industry to undermine the United States’ dominance.
Even though China opposes the widespread use of cryptocurrencies domestically, it may still see value in digital assets to counterbalance the US dollar’s global currency dominance.
Several countries worldwide have either adopted or are considering central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) to strengthen their domestic currencies. China is at the forefront of these developments.
“Despite the ban on Bitcoin mining, China has actively participated in the digital asset space, through initiatives like CDBC research and the digital yuan, or e-CNY,” Wanchain CEO Temujin Louie told BeInCrypto.
In fact, China’s efforts to create a digital yuan are partly driven by its desire to de-dollarize its economy and lessen its dependence on the US dollar.
Louie also suggested that whatever move China makes, it won’t solely base its decision on what the US does or does not do.
“As always, with China, a nuanced approach is best. Any shifts in policy will not be due to US tariffs. Rather, China’s decisions will be informed by global market trends and China’s own domestic strategy,” Louie added.
That said, China’s decisions about digital currency will, in turn, affect how its position on crypto continues to develop.
“Weakening USD dominance, whether exacerbated or caused by President Trump’s approach to tariffs, may embolden China to be more aggressive in [its] efforts to internationalise the yuan, including the digital yuan, or e-CNY. Any change to China’s broader strategy will be reflected in [its] stance towards crypto,” he concluded.
China’s activity in other areas of international trade already proves how nuanced its policy changes tend to be.
Aside from its appreciation of digital currencies like the e-CNY, China’s stance on crypto has already proven somewhat contradictory. These discrepancies may fuel the belief that the country might just be willing to revert—or at least soften—its total ban on mining.
A month ago, investment firm VanEck confirmed that China and Russia –two countries particularly burdened by US sanctions– are reportedly settling some of their energy trades using Bitcoin.
“With the US dollar increasingly being used as a political lever –particularly in tariffed economies– other nations are actively exploring alternatives. Indeed, many countries around the world, including China and Russia, are already using Bitcoin as an alternative for trading in commodities and energy, for example. This trend is only going to accelerate as digital assets become a more prominent part of the global economy,” Puckrin told BeInCrypto.
According to Puckrin’s analysis of these indicators, China’s “shadow crypto economy” is projected to expand this year, which could result in a reassertion of its power. This resurgence would be primarily in response to de-dollarization efforts, rather than a reaction to US dominance in mining.
“We’ll likely see this activity ramping up in the near future, especially as more countries use crypto to bypass dollar-dominated systems,” he concluded.
It will remain crucial to interpret China’s intentions, especially regarding cryptocurrency, by observing its actions rather than relying solely on its official statements.
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After months of back-and-forth, Vitalik Buterin says Ethereum will scale its layer 1 by 10X in the near future. Buterin confirms that the timeline for the 10X scalability roadmap will be a little over a year without affecting the network’s decentralization. Vitalik Buterin Confirms Ethereum Layer 1 Scaling Plans Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has provided clarity for the short-term future of Ethereum, hinting at a wholesale implementation of scalability plans. Buterin confirmed the plans at a panel discussion at ETHGlobal Prague, unveiling L1 scaling ambitions. Buterin revealed that he will back a plan to scale Ethereum’s layer 1 by 10X “over the next year and a bit.” While scaling the L1 within a year is an ideal timeline, Buterin expressed concerns over a frenzied approach toward scaling. He argues that scaling the L1 in a little over a year offers an ideal alternative for the network. Buterin’s proposed timeline factors… Read More at Coingape.com
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Solana memecoin Bonk Inu has completed the purchase of the multichain art marketplace Exchange Art. While the purchase is a surprise for community members, speculators have their eyes peeled on a potential rally for BONK price.
According to a post on X, Solana-based project Bonk Inu has outrightly purchased Exchange Art. While the announcement did not disclose the figures surrounding the deal, Bonk Inu says it will preserve art on the Solana network.
The acquisition will see the phasing out of Exchange Art’s leadership and replacement with a brand-new team. Internationally exhibited artist JT Liss has been tapped to lead the operations at Exchange Art amid grand plans to improve Solana’s creator economy.
“Bonk has officially acquired the art marketplace Exchange Art,” read the announcement. “The goal? To preserve and elevate the culture around creating, collecting, and appreciating art on-chain.”
Bonk Inu co-founder TheOnlyNom disclosed that the top Solana memecoin will continue Exchange Art’s streak of promoting art in the ecosystem. The co-founder confirmed plans to integrate Exchange Art with the BONK Art Masters initiative.
“It’ll continue to expand the reach of artists creating works on the platform, improving the financial incentives for both creators and collectors,” said TheOnlyNom.
At the moment, the BONK price is largely uneventful following reports of Exchange Art Acquisition. It has fallen by 6% over the last 24 hours and currently trades at $0.00001361.
The meme coin indicates no signs of an upswing, with daily trading volumes down by 30% over the last day at $107 million. The dog-themed coin has lost 77% since hitting its previous all-time high, but community sentiment remains enthusiastic.
On the other hand, Solana (SOL) price is up 2% amid frenetic meme coin activity in its ecosystem. On the back of meme coin activity on the network, pundits say SOL can rally 96% to reach $270.
Despite the buzz around dog-themed tokens, Cathie Wood predicts that memecoins will lose value in the coming years.
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