Why China’s Recent Mining Crackdown Triggered Bitcoin’s Latest Sell-Off

As Bitcoin’s price continues to trend lower, China’s renewed crackdown on domestic mining activity may help explain the sudden downturn.

In Xinjiang province, an estimated 400,000 miners were forced to shut down operations and go offline. The abrupt disruption cut off revenue streams, pushing some operators to sell Bitcoin holdings to cover operating costs or finance relocation efforts.

In a recent social media post, former Canaan chairman Jack Kong said that China’s computing power fell by roughly 100 exahashes per second (EH/s) within 24 hours. He noted that the decline, estimated at around 8%, followed the shutdown of hundreds of thousands of mining machines.

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Ex-Chairman of $CAN says 400k BTC mining machines shut off in China https://t.co/4RQ0O2esh3 pic.twitter.com/q5OopJq10M

The news emerged shortly before Bitcoin slid to $86,000 on Tuesday, breaking below the $90,000 level it had managed to hold over the past week.

Some analysts view the timing as more than coincidental, pointing to a correlation between the mining shutdowns and the price decline. 

They note that abrupt and stringent measures often force miners to take immediate actions, which can amplify short-term market pressure.

According to Bitcoin analyst NoLimit, when miners are forced offline, a chain reaction typically follows. 

This includes an immediate loss of revenue, an urgent need for liquidity to cover operating expenses or relocation costs, and, in some cases, the forced sale of Bitcoin holdings.

These dynamics can spill directly into the broader crypto market. When roughly 8% of Bitcoin’s computing power is suddenly taken offline, uncertainty rises, adding short-term stress to Bitcoin’s price.