中国

Recently, Bitcoin trading has continued to heat up. On March 14, Bitcoin hit a maximum of $73,777, about 530,000 yuan per coin, setting another record high. With four records broken in a week, Bitcoin has become the eighth-largest asset in the world by market capitalization. With this wave of gains, Bitcoin is becoming more and more popular.

During this round of gains, Asian investors have been extremely active. According to data from The Block, investors in Asian countries such as South Korea account for about 70% of Bitcoin trading volume, which is similar to the situation in 2021. Data shows that of the cumulative US$1.17 trillion in Bitcoin transactions in February 2024, Asian investors contributed US$791 billion, while North American investors accounted for only US$113 billion.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce issued an official statement on Saturday in Beijing stating that China has directly requested the U.S. government to stop using trade and investment as political weapons.
After the Trump administration imposed new restrictions on Chinese investments in U.S. companies, the ministry made the above statements, directly linking them to national security issues under Trump's 'America First' policy. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce publicly criticized Washington, clearly stating that such measures would seriously undermine the confidence of Chinese companies in investing in the U.S. The Ministry stated that these new policies mean that scrutiny of business relations with China will be more stringent and will harm the relationship between the two largest economies in the world.

The recent export control measures related to rare earths, graphite, and others issued by China's Ministry of Commerce are legitimate policy adjustments based on national security needs, rather than so-called 'heavy blows to the world order'. They represent China's exercise of legitimate rights within the framework of global economic and trade rules.

These regulatory measures target technology products containing key resources such as Chinese rare earths, graphite, and magnets. Regardless of whether they are ultimately labeled 'Made in America' or 'EU Certified', as long as they involve relevant Chinese resources, they must comply with Chinese regulatory requirements. This is not a 'counter-sanction', but is essentially consistent with export control policies implemented by various countries based on national security, representing normal behavior of sovereign nations, rather than so-called 'accompanying ghosts'. China has never 'begged for a seat on the international stage', but has always participated in global governance in a constructive manner, promoting the international order towards a more just and reasonable direction. The expression of 'building a banquet hall' essentially reflects China's active participation in the formulation of global rules and the enhancement of its international discourse power, which aligns with the trend of multi-polar development in the world.

Technology giants are increasingly active in the blockchain and cryptocurrency fields. Recently, China's financial technology giant Ant Group has further increased its investment in blockchain business, while Japan's electronics technology giant Sony Group has officially entered the cryptocurrency trading field. These moves reflect the different attitudes and layouts of the two countries towards the blockchain and crypto asset fields.
Ant Group doubles down on blockchain
As a financial technology company under Alibaba, Ant Group has been actively expanding its blockchain business. According to the latest news, Ant Group's blockchain technology company "Ant Blockchain Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd." has increased its registered capital from the original 100 million yuan to 1.5 billion yuan, a 15-fold increase. At the same time, the registered capital of another Ant Group blockchain subsidiary "Ant Chain (Shanghai) Digital Technology Co., Ltd." has also increased from the original 100 million yuan to 2.1 billion yuan, a 21-fold increase.