This follows the principle that in a gold rush, you want to be the one selling shovels. Bitmain is the one selling shovels (mining machines) for the Bitcoin boom.
Anyway, Bitmain better watch out. Cryptocurrencies are now regularly implementing hash function changes. GPU mining is dying, but not to ASICs but to the more configurable FPGAs instead.
It is not the strongest that survive, but the ones most responsive to change.
We are free to trade Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, or exchange USD for pretty much any other currency in the world, and most goods/services. Chinese citizens are, well, not.
Bitcoin is not something a free economy with mostly free trade fears. It is something a controlled, planned market very much fears.
The ability to print money and collect tax is the cornerstone of political power.
The cryptocurrencies attack those foundations and, thus, are going to be prevented from becoming mainstream.
echo “127.0.0.1 auth.minerlink.com” >> /etc/hosts
The 27 year old American accountant who desires to quit his desk job will send $4,000 of his salary (or more) to buy some Chinese-made machines. The 200 or so major shareholders of Bitmain profit instantly.
The accountant barely profits on his transaction. [1]
[1] some will profit more than others depending on length of time holding assets, but statistically someone ultimately holds the bag.