Bitcoin Dissident Sees Dark Warnings in China's Blockchain Push

China's recent multi-front embrace of blockchain technology has divided the global cryptocurrency community.

Authorities in China have long discouraged investment in grassroots cryptocurrencies like bitcoin.

CoinDesk spoke with one anonymous bitcoiner who grew up in China and has since moved elsewhere in East Asia.

The propaganda office for China's Communist Party announced a blockchain-based application over the weekend that allows members to pledge their allegiance to the party.

Q: What do you think about the recent "Pro-blockchain" announcements coming out of China?

My parents have been [Christian] missionaries for about 18 years now, and being a missionary is outlawed in China.

In China, there's very strict capital controls.

When we're talking over the phone or email, we switch out all sensitive words and make sure our servers are not located in China.

If China had been 100 percent digital, there would have been no way for them to survive.

In China, after they tell you that you need to leave the country, you need to liquidate all your assets in 48 hours.