中國擬限制比特幣，加密貨幣挖礦或成“淘汰產(chǎn)業(yè)”

HONG KONG — China is planning new steps that could put a stop to making Bitcoin there, a move that could cut off one of the world’s largest sources of the popular but unstable cryptocurrency.

香港——中國正在計劃采取新措施叫停比特幣的生產(chǎn)，此舉或將切斷這個雖受歡迎卻不穩(wěn)定的加密貨幣全球最大的來源之一。

The National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top economic planning body, this week added cryptocurrency mining to a list of about 450 industries that it proposes to eliminate. If the move is finalized, local governments in China would be prohibited from supporting makers of Bitcoin and other digital currencies through subsidies or other benefits.

本周，中國最高經(jīng)濟規(guī)劃機構國家發(fā)展和改革委員會(以下簡稱“國家發(fā)改委”)將加密貨幣挖礦添加至一份擬取消的約450個行業(yè)清單中。如此舉最終確定，中國的地方政府將不得通過補貼或其他福利形式，支持比特幣和其他數(shù)字貨幣生產(chǎn)商。

The commission said it would seek public comment until May 7 before making a final decision.

國家發(fā)改委表示，將在5月7日之前向社會公開征求意見，然后再做出最終決定。

China was once the world’s largest maker of Bitcoin, though rising government pressure has forced many of those who make the cryptocurrency, known as miners, to other countries. Still, a number of Bitcoin miners could remain, especially if local governments ignore the instructions and find a way to prop up local producers, say people in the business.

中國曾是世界上最大的比特幣生產(chǎn)國，但隨著不斷增大的政府壓力，許多加密貨幣生產(chǎn)商(被稱為礦工)已被迫遷往其他國家。不過，據(jù)業(yè)內(nèi)人士表示，可能仍有一些比特幣礦工會留下來，特別是如果地方政府不執(zhí)行有關指示，并找到扶持當?shù)厣a(chǎn)商的方法的話。

“It is categorized as an industry that is not encouraged or allowed to expand, but it is not a ban,” said Zhao Qianjie, a former executive at BTCChina, which was China’s first cryptocurrency exchange.

“定位為不支持不擴張的產(chǎn)業(yè)，并不是一個禁令，”中國首個加密貨幣交易所——比特幣中國(BTCChina)的前高管趙千捷說。

Instead, Mr. Zhao said, some producers may learn to live without subsidies and benefits like discounted electricity. “The change will be the mining cost will rise,” said Mr. Zhao, who still owns a Bitcoin mine in China’s northern region of Inner Mongolia.

相反，趙千捷說，一些生產(chǎn)商可能會學著在沒有補貼或用電折扣這類福利的情況下生存。“所以改變就是挖礦成本會高，”趙千捷說。他在中國北方的內(nèi)蒙古地區(qū)仍然擁有一家比特幣礦場。

Bitcoin miners use computers to crunch the mathematical formulas that create the basis for the currency. The business can be quite profitable, especially when Bitcoin prices are soaring, but the process requires considerable amounts of electricity. Prices of the currency move up and down considerably and are currently above $5,000, according to Blockchain, a cryptocurrency firm.

比特幣礦工通過電腦來計算該貨幣建立基礎的數(shù)學公式。這項業(yè)務非常有利可圖，特別是在比特幣價格飆升的時候，但這個過程需要耗費大量電力。根據(jù)加密貨幣公司區(qū)塊鏈(Blockchain)的數(shù)據(jù)，比特幣的價格波動很大，目前在5000美元以上。

China initially embraced Bitcoin and saw local miners as the potential basis for a new industry focused on digital currencies. China also has plenty of power, thanks to its extensively built-out electricity system and the closure of a growing number of heavy industry factories as the economy matures. At one point, China accounted for roughly two-thirds of all Bitcoin produced.

中國起初支持比特幣，并將本土礦工視為專注于數(shù)字貨幣的新行業(yè)的潛在基礎。得益于廣泛建成的電力系統(tǒng)，以及隨著經(jīng)濟的成熟關閉了越來越多的重工業(yè)工廠，中國也擁有充足的電力。中國一度占到比特幣總算力的三分之二左右。

But China keeps a tight grip over how much money flows in and out of its borders, and cryptocurrencies — which are traded on decentralized computer networks and allow people to make transactions anonymously — threatened to undermine those capital controls.

但中國嚴格控制資金的進出，而加密貨幣在分散的計算機網(wǎng)絡上交易，并允許人們匿名交易，這就有可能破壞它對資本的管制。

Cryptocurrencies can also be used to circumvent laws to buy illegal goods, and Chinese officials were also spooked by the possibility that the wildly fluctuating prices could leave investors with big losses and lead to civil unrest.

加密貨幣還可用于避開法律管制以購買非法商品，中國官員還對大幅波動的價格可能給投資者帶來巨大損失并引發(fā)內(nèi)亂的可能性感到懼怕。

The Chinese authorities began to ratchet up pressure on Bitcoin miners. In 2017, China ordered cryptocurrency exchanges to close. It has also banned initial coin offerings, a method by which start-ups or online projects can raise funds by issuing cryptocurrency. Many miners began to hide or flee to places with friendlier laws or abundant electricity, including the United States.

中國當局開始對比特幣礦工施壓。2017年，中國下令關閉加密貨幣交易所。它還封殺了首次代幣發(fā)行，這是一種初創(chuàng)公司或在線項目通過發(fā)行加密貨幣籌集資金的方式。許多礦工開始躲藏或逃往法律更友好或電力充足的地方，其中就包括美國。

“All the policies have created fear,” said Chandler Guo, who owned Bitcoin mines in China but moved to Silicon Valley in 2016. “Many have moved abroad.”

“各種政策讓很多人恐慌，”曾在中國擁有比特幣礦場的郭宏才說。他在2016年搬到了硅谷。“大量的都出國了。”

Still, China remains a significant force in the Bitcoin world. Based on different estimates, between 40 percent and 70 percent of the world’s mining power is still in China.

盡管如此，中國仍然是比特幣世界的一支重要力量。根據(jù)不同的估計，世界上40%至70%的比特幣挖礦算力仍在中國。

The National Development and Reform Commission’s proposal is the first time a central government body has publicly announced a restrictive policy on Bitcoin mining, and it could make it difficult for miners to get loans to expand, said Wu Huiyao, president of the Center for China and Globalization, a research organization in Beijing.

國家發(fā)改委的提議是中央政府首次公開宣布對比特幣挖礦采取限制性政策，這可能使礦工難以獲得擴張所需的貸款，位于北京的研究機構中國與全球化智庫(Center for China and Globalization)理事長王輝耀表示。

“Local governments won’t act against it, so it will be more difficult for them to be approved or receive loans,” Mr. Wu said.

“地方政府不會違背這個，所以貸款和批項目會難。”王輝耀說。

Miners said that while the crackdown on cryptocurrency has driven some miners abroad, the total cost of mining is still lower in China, where most of the mining machines are produced.

比特幣礦工表示，盡管對加密貨幣的打壓已導致一些礦工遷往海外，但中國的采礦總成本仍然較低，且大多數(shù)采礦機都是在中國生產(chǎn)的。

Yu Wei, a former executive with Bitmain, which makes products for mining cryptocurrencies — and who owns mines in Xinjiang and Yunnan Province in China, as well as in Central Asia — said the move could benefit the industry in the long run. “That means more miners will move abroad,” he said. “That will be good for decentralization of cryptocurrency.”

生產(chǎn)加密貨幣挖掘設備的比特大陸(Bitmain)前高管喻偉表示，從長遠來看，此舉可能使該行業(yè)受益。他在中國的新疆、云南以及中亞地區(qū)擁有礦場。“這就意味著更多礦工會出海，”他說。“更加去中心化。”