中國法院稱比特幣是一種商品，但警告其相關用途是非法的

上海松江區人民法院商事法官孫傑表示，加密貨幣在中國被視為商品，並未受到法律明文禁止。

A Shanghai court has stated that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) are considered commodities in China, but any crypto-related activities, including trading, issuance or payments, are deemed illegal financial practices.

上海法院表示，比特幣（BTC）等加密貨幣在中國被視為商品，但任何與加密貨幣相關的活動，包括交易、發行或支付，都被視為非法金融行為。

The statement was made by commercial judge Sun Jie at Songjiang District People’s Court in Shanghai on Nov. 24. Sun’s statement provided legal guidance on cryptocurrencies during a booming market cycle, which she referred to as the new “gold rush.”

該聲明由上海松江區人民法院商事法官孫傑於11 月24 日發表。 。

Sun was commenting on a case during the 2017 crypto “gold rush” in which a defendant provided token issuance guidance services to a plaintiff for a cost of 300,000 yuan (around $44,000 at the time). The defendant provided the service by drafting a white paper but did not assist in token issuance, which they believed was the plaintiff’s responsibility.

Sun 評論了 2017 年加密貨幣「淘金熱」期間的一個案件，其中被告向原告提供代幣發行指導服務，費用為 30 萬元人民幣（當時約為 44,000 美元）。被告透過起草白皮書的方式提供服務，但沒有協助發行代幣，他們認為這是原告的責任。

Sun stated that the contract agreement between the two parties was declared invalid as the crypto-related services outlined in the contract were considered illegal financial activities. However, she added that while it is illegal for commercial entities to issue tokens or participate in transactions, “it is not illegal for individuals to simply hold virtual currency.”

孫表示，雙方之間的合約協議被宣布無效，因為合約中概述的加密相關服務被視為非法金融活動。不過，她補充說，雖然商業實體發行代幣或參與交易是非法的，但“個人僅僅持有虛擬貨幣並不違法。”

The Shanghai court’s interpretation aligns with a recent case in the Jiahe County People’s Court in Hunan province of South-Central China. According to the municipal-owned media outlet Rednet on Nov. 21, the court recently rejected a plaintiff’s claims that demanded the return of $6.27 million in USDT.

上海法院的解釋與中國中南部湖南省嘉禾縣人民法院最近審理的一起案件一致。根據市府媒體紅網11月21日報道，近日，法院駁回了原告要求返還627萬美元USDT的訴訟請求。

The dispute stems from a November 2021 WeChat agreement in which the plaintiff paid $23.67 million in USDT for crypto mining equipment, but differences between the parties arose over time. The court said that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ether and USDT are not legal tender and cannot be used as currency. The agreement to deliver crypto mining equipment for USDT was deemed invalid, and the court dismissed the plaintiff’s claims as it did not fall within the scope of legal protection under Chinese law.

該糾紛源自於2021年11月的一份微信協議，其中原告支付了2,367萬美元的USDT購買加密挖礦設備，但隨著時間的推移，雙方之間出現了分歧。法院表示，比特幣、以太幣、USDT等加密貨幣並非法定貨幣，不能作為貨幣使用。為USDT交付加密貨幣挖礦設備的協議被認定無效，法院因不屬於中國法律的法律保護範圍，駁回了原告的訴訟請求。

The recent election victory of United States President-elect Donald Trump has led experts to suggest that China may ease its strict stance on crypto. Throughout the year, social media chatter fueled rumors that China would reverse its crypto ban, but Beijing has not officially provided any formal indication that it would do so. It has, however, eased restrictions in Hong Kong.

美國當選總統川普最近的選舉勝利促使專家建議中國可能放鬆對加密貨幣的嚴格立場。全年，社群媒體上的討論不斷引發有關中國將撤銷加密貨幣禁令的謠言，但北京方面尚未正式提供任何正式跡象表明它將這樣做。不過，它放鬆了在香港的限制。