TL;DR
- The Solana Accelerate China conference in Shanghai was suspended after several police officers arrived at the venue.
- CZ, Binance’s co-founder, questioned whether the organizers understood local regulations and recalled that a similar Solana event was disrupted in 2025.
- The tour has three more conferences scheduled in Hangzhou, Shenzhen, and Beijing, although it has not been confirmed whether the Shanghai suspension will affect the schedule.
Changpeng Zhao (CZ), co-founder of Binance, questioned Solana’s understanding of Chinese regulations after a blockchain event in Shanghai was suspended following the arrival of several police officers.
The conference was part of Solana Accelerate China 2026, a tour designed to bring together developers and companies interested in blockchain infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and payments.
According to attendees, between eight and nine police officers arrived at the Shangri-La Hotel, where the event was scheduled to take place. Some participants were kept outside the venue for more than an hour.
Organizers later announced that the morning program had been postponed due to logistical issues at the venue.
They did not immediately announce a new schedule. There has also been no official confirmation that Chinese authorities ordered the conference to be suspended.
Sad to see. Looks like they really didn't know the local policies? But it's not the first time either, same thing happened less than a year ago: https://t.co/c2lI8p2r9w https://t.co/n2Zv1hpIyZ
— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) October 16, 2026
CZ Questions Solana and Recalls Another Incident in 2025
After the incident became public, CZ posted a message on X expressing disappointment over the disruption and questioning whether the organizers understood local policies.
“Sad to see. Looks like they really didn’t know the local policies?” the Binance co-founder wrote.
CZ also recalled that Solana had experienced a similar situation less than a year earlier.
In October 2025, police conducted an inspection during a Solana Accelerate APAC event in Shenzhen. Organizers ultimately canceled the final hackathon session, citing overcrowding.
His remarks contrasted with comments he had made just one day earlier, when he welcomed the opening of a Solana office in Shanghai.
CZ described the expansion as an achievement and noted that BNB Chain had not yet established a comparable presence in mainland China.
Solana’s China Tour Still Has Three Events Scheduled
Shanghai was the first stop on a tour that also includes conferences in Hangzhou on October 18, Shenzhen on October 20, and Beijing on October 22.
All three events remain listed on Solana’s official website following the disruption of the opening conference.
Crypto companies operating in China face regulatory restrictions. The country banned cryptocurrency trading in 2021, although blockchain technology development remains permitted as long as it complies with local regulations.
In February 2026, authorities also reaffirmed restrictions on cryptocurrency activities and limited the unauthorized issuance of yuan-pegged stablecoins.
For now, the Solana Foundation has not confirmed that the police intervention was related to a regulatory violation, and organizers said they would contact attendees directly with any updates regarding the Shanghai conference.
