CZ Clarifies No Link to Solana Shanghai Ad Removal
Changpeng Zhao stated that he always supports any blockchain making progress in any country, including BTC, ETH, BNB, XRP, SOL, and other stablecoins. He expressed happiness about Solana's ability to advertise in Shanghai and establish an office, believing this could pave the way for other projects and potentially signal a loosening of Chinese policies.
He noted that the Solana advertisement on the Bund building was removed within 10 minutes of its appearance, and when he saw related content on X, it was already 12 to 24 hours after the incident occurred, indicating that his post was not a triggering factor. The rapid disappearance of the advertisement was in the context of China's real-time monitoring of speech and media.
Zhao had previously publicly praised Solana for its advertising and office establishment in China, while BNB Chain had not achieved a similar setup at that time. He stated that progress beneficial to a single project is also beneficial to the entire industry, but later clarified that China has not lifted restrictions related to cryptocurrencies.
Rachel Conlan, Chief Strategy Officer of the Solana Foundation, shared photos of the new office and skyline advertisement in Shanghai, located in a high-rise commercial space in Lujiazui. The foundation plans to hold the Accelerate China series of events in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, and Beijing, focusing on developers and the technology ecosystem.
Since 2021, China has banned cryptocurrency trading and related financial services, but the development of blockchain technology is still allowed. Solana's establishment focuses on infrastructure and developer tools rather than token trading, and advertisements and events still face rapid intervention.
In terms of market mechanisms, blockchain projects attempting to expand brand exposure in China face real-time content regulatory pressure, shifting capital and attention from public advertising to more discreet technical cooperation paths. Solana gained visibility in the short term but faced obstacles in subsequent activities, while other projects adjusted their entry strategies after observing policy boundaries.
Zhao emphasized that regardless of the outcome, continuous construction and promotion of adoption remain the right direction, reiterating his support for progress across the entire industry. This incident highlights the ongoing tension between public marketing and local compliance.
Source: Public Information
ABAB AI Insight
As the founder of Binance, Changpeng Zhao has long faced regulatory constraints in the Chinese market. His personal trajectory has shifted from early experiences in China to operating a global exchange. His comments on Solana's Shanghai attempt continue his practice of publicly supporting competitors' progress while clarifying the timeline to avoid being interpreted as a source of regulatory action.
In terms of capital pathways, the Solana Foundation is testing the Chinese developer market by establishing an office and outdoor advertising, shifting resources from purely online communities to physical presence and brand exposure, motivated by the desire to engage local developers and businesses. Zhao's public statements convert the progress of a single project into a signal at the industry level, attracting more projects to focus on potential policy space.
This is analogous to the historical path of some projects attempting technical cooperation after China's comprehensive ban on crypto trading in 2021. Currently, the phase is characterized by public marketing being easily monitored while technical cooperation is relatively feasible, similar to other public chains adopting a "developer-first, trading-avoidance" strategy in strictly regulated areas.
Structurally, this reflects a reconstruction of the industry chain under regulatory changes, where public advertisements and activities are difficult to sustain due to real-time content monitoring. Projects are forced to shift resources from brand exposure to more discreet developer ecosystem building, as the mechanism is that regulatory responses to public dissemination are faster than interventions in technical cooperation, making low-key establishment a more sustainable entry path.
ABAB News · Cognitive Law
- Public advertisement was removed in ten minutes, indicating monitoring is faster than the project.
- Supporting competitors' progress does not mean policies have loosened.
- In a strictly regulated market, technical establishment is more enduring than brand exposure.