Well, this is a strange one. Two prominent officials from Hong Kong have suddenly backed out of a major Bitcoin conference. And it seems their withdrawal has everything to do with another scheduled speaker: Eric Trump.
According to a report from the South China Morning Post, Eric Yip Chee-hang, from the Securities and Futures Commission, and legislator Johnny Ng Kit-chong were both set to appear. They were listed as keynote speakers as recently as mid-July. But by the time the Bitcoin Asia conference kicked off on August 28th, their names had been quietly scrubbed from the program.
An Unspoken Advisory
So what happened? The SCMP cites two sources who say lawmakers were quietly advised to steer clear of the event. The reason given, or perhaps not given but strongly implied, was the presence of Donald Trump’s son. One source put it bluntly: “There is a request to lawmakers, asking them not to attend the forum that also features Trump’s son. And I think we all understood the reason.”
Who exactly issued this advisory remains unclear. It’s one of those things where the message is delivered without a lot of official paper trail. It just gets around.
Eric Trump’s Bitcoin Pitch
Eric Trump was confirmed as a headline speaker back in early July. His planned talk was focused on Bitcoin’s long-term potential and the growing influence of Asian markets on its adoption. It’s a topic that’s been getting a lot of airtime lately, especially with the Trump family’s recent foray into the crypto world.
This isn’t just a speaking gig, either. There’s a business angle. The Financial Times reported earlier this month that American Bitcoin, which is supported by Eric and his brother Donald Trump Jr., is in talks. They’re reportedly looking to acquire a company in Japan, and maybe one in Hong Kong too. The idea would be to use them as regional vehicles for crypto treasury operations.
Which, you know, makes the Hong Kong officials’ withdrawal even more noticeable. It hints at the delicate balancing act going on behind the scenes.
The Underlying Tensions
It’s hard not to see this as a political move, even if no one will say it outright. The avoidance of a figure so closely tied to U.S. politics, especially in a financial context, speaks volumes. It suggests that even in the supposedly borderless world of cryptocurrency, old-fashioned geopolitical lines are still very much drawn.
For the conference organizers, it’s surely a disappointment. Losing two senior local figures probably wasn’t part of the plan. But it shows how complicated these events can get when high-profile, politically charged names are involved. The crypto world wants to be decentralized and free, but it still operates in a world of nations and their sensitivities.
And just like that, what was meant to be a discussion about digital currency turned into a lesson in international relations.
