China has multiplied powerful signals in the last 24 hours. It continues to tighten its economic and technological policy, while strengthening its control over crypto. Beijing further controls American capital and accelerates its autonomy in artificial intelligence. At the same time, Washington's sanctions against Chinese energy companies add additional pressure. Between finance, technology and energy, the balance of power between Beijing and Washington is taking on a new dimension.
In brief
- China is strengthening its control over crypto by also targeting its online promotion.
- Beijing wants to limit the entry of American capital into its sensitive technology companies.
- DeepSeek and Huawei illustrate China's desire to reduce its dependence on American chips.
- Between Chinese restrictions and Washington sanctions, tensions between the two countries continue to intensify.
Crypto: China extends its ban to online promotion
The Chinese central bank and seven other regulatory authorities have finalized new rules governing the online marketing of financial products. These measures also concern content related to crypto and strengthen control of their promotion on digital platforms.
According to FinanceFeeds, the text explicitly classifies the issuance and exchange of cryptocurrencies such as illegal financial activities. It also targets unauthorized foreign exchange transactions. Thus, it extends the position adopted by China in 2021, when cryptocurrency transactions were banned in the country.
However, this new step is not only about buying or selling crypto. It also targets the way in which these services are presented to the public. The authorities want to limit online promotion, particularly via social platforms, affiliation and influencer content.
From now on, platforms, agencies, intermediaries and content creators may be affected by these rules. Any entity that facilitates the promotion of financial activities deemed illegal by this new regulation may be held responsible. The new rules, officially published as number 9 and dated April 21, will come into force on September 30.
Beijing curbs American capital and pushes its autonomy in AI
China also wants to limit the entry of American capital into certain local technology companies. According to a Bloomberg reportrelayed by Reuters, Beijing plans to subject these investments to prior approval from the government. This measure would mainly target startups active in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies.
Chinese regulators, including the National Development and Reform Commission, have already sent instructions to several private companies. They should refuse American funds when raising capital, unless there is official authorization. Thus, control does not only concern large listed companies, but also young innovative companies.
Among the companies mentioned are Moonshot AI and StepFun, two startups specializing in artificial intelligence. ByteDance, owner of TikTok, would also be affected. The authorities would not want the company to authorize secondary sales of shares to American investors without prior validation.
This orientation is part of a context of increased vigilance around sensitive technologies. Beijing seeks to prevent American investors from taking stakes in sectors deemed linked to national security. The Manus case would have heightened those concerns and expanded scrutiny to multiple agencies, including China's Commerce Ministry.
At the same time, DeepSeek announced the launch of its V4 model, optimized for Huawei Ascend 950 chips. This open source model has 1.6 trillion parameters and reduces costs by 73% compared to the previous version. This development reinforces the idea of a more autonomous Chinese technological chain.
DeepSeek also presents its model as an advance in reasoning and coding. It places itself ahead of several open source models and is similar to closed solutions from Google and OpenAI. Thus, China shows that it wants to gain ground in artificial intelligence without depending on American chips.
Escalation of energy tensions between Beijing and Washington
Furthermore, tensions between China and the United States also extend to the energy sector. On April 24, Washington announced in a press release sanctions against Hengli Petrochemical Dalian, an independent Chinese refinery. American authorities accuse him of having purchased several billion dollars worth of Iranian oil.
The US Treasury Department also targeted around forty shipping companies and ships. According to Washington, these actors would participate in the transport of Iranian oil by a parallel fleet. This decision comes against a backdrop of increased pressure on Tehran's oil revenues.
For his part, Beijing rejects these unilateral sanctionswhich he considers illegal. The Chinese Embassy in Washington called on the United States not to politicize trade, science and technology exchanges. She also asks them not to use sanctions as a tool against Chinese companies.
These measures add additional pressure on Chinese independent refiners. Several companies in the sector had already been targeted by American sanctions. Thus, some refineries are facing supply difficulties and already fragile margins.
In the short term, Iranian oil remains a point of friction between the two powers as the Middle East conflict escalates. This situation could strengthen economic mistrust between China and the United States. It could also complicate energy-related trade, especially if US sanctions continue to expand.
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