The report, "Ready Player One: An In-Depth Analysis of the Global Virtual Currency Asset Harvesting Operation Under US Technological Hegemony," jointly released by the China National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center and other departments, reveals the process by which the United States uses its technological hegemony to harvest global virtual currency assets. According to incomplete statistics, from 2022 to 2025, the United States seized over $30 billion worth of global virtual currency assets through various cases. The Chen Zhi case alone accounted for $15 billion in seized assets, representing 50% of the total. The report shows that in October 2025, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York announced criminal charges against Chen Zhi, founder of the Cambodian Prince Group, involving charges of telecommunications fraud and money laundering. Simultaneously, it announced the seizure of approximately 127,000 Bitcoins under his control, valued at approximately $15 billion at the time, setting a record for the largest virtual asset seizure in U.S. judicial history. The Binance founder Changpeng Zhao case is another typical example of the United States using judicial hegemony and technological surveillance to force global virtual asset platforms to comply with its regulatory rules, achieving economic harvesting and rule export. From 2023 to 2025, the United States pursued both civil and criminal charges against Changpeng Zhao, ultimately resulting in Binance paying a $4.3 billion fine according to a plea agreement. "During the investigation, the United States employed comprehensive technical monitoring methods, achieving complete penetration and evidence collection of Binance's operational, user, and transaction data, demonstrating its technological advantages in the field of digital asset platform monitoring," Du Zhenhua further explained. The report stated that the United States used hacking techniques to penetrate Binance's internal servers, obtaining core operational data and executive communication records, proving that Binance executives were aware of US regulatory rules but deliberately circumvented compliance requirements. The report also indicated that from 2023 to 2025, a hacking group with US government backing launched targeted attacks against more than 20 mainstream virtual currency asset exchanges worldwide. Attack methods included backdoor implantation, spear-phishing, and supply chain infiltration, focusing on stealing user wallet private keys, platform transaction records, and compliance information. The targets covered platforms in multiple countries and regions across Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Catherine