China's mining claims tested: BTC hashrate fell ~8%, pools rebounded by Dec 18

Reports of a renewed Bitcoin mining crackdown in China surfaced after BTC's hashrate dropped about 8%. Jack Jianping Kong posted that Xinjiang miners faced scrutiny and later claimed at least 400,000 machines were shut. By 18 December, pool data showed a rebound, with North American and China-based pools reflecting mixed, temporary declines.