After concluding an investigation involving Chinese digital miners, environmental analyst Daniel Batten revealed that Bitcoin mining has never been completely banned in China. As the analyst explains in X, despite the information that was disclosed, what was applied in 2021 It was not a «ban» but a suspension. Terms with different meanings and implications, which help to understand the fact that mining activities have subsequently resumed in the country (although to a lesser extent). In that sense, Batten remembers that currently 15% of the Bitcoin hashrate comes from China, this country being in second place after the United States. This is a figure that is similar to that used by most statistics sites and analysts on the Internet, mainly since 2022, months after China's hashrate will reach minimum levels.
The decline occurred following the decree issued by the Chinese government in May 2021, when it said it would «crack down on Bitcoin mining and trading activities.» In this regard, the Batten report maintains that the drop in the hash rate during that time (from 179.2 EH/s to 87.7 EH/s) it was temporary. “Mining was suspended for a month and then the government let the miners who were serving a purpose return,” Batten reveals, ensuring that his data comes from first-hand accounts from sources in China.
China's participation in the Bitcoin hashrate almost disappeared between May and September 2021. Source: batcoinz.com In this way, it points out that the restrictions that were imposed (and that effectively caused the flight of many miners), were part of efforts broader to reduce energy consumption in high-use industries. With this information Batten seeks to deny the opinion matrix that the activity of Bitcoin miners is totally prohibited in the country, or that all that is detected is carried out clandestinely, the most used argument to explain the existing hash rate in China. Contrary to what is published, the expert assures that Bitcoin mining carried out in China is now more distributed and cleaner.
If you have between 200 and 500 miners and want to mine with renewable energy, you are welcome. This is particularly the case in Inner Mongolia, China's Texas, which has a lot of wasted renewable energy that they want to monetize. Daniel Batten.
“We have spoken with several mining companies in China,” says Batten, and – in his opinion –. The message is clear: if you are small, useful and not using it to get money out of China, you are welcome. The analyst maintains the thesis that the use of the term prohibition (ban in English) was a misinterpretation, that even attributes to a narrative that the major media wanted to impose.