The Cybersecurity Commission in China's northern Hebei province said it would collaborate with other government departments to crack down on virtual currency mining and trading, the latest move in the country's cryptocurrency crackdown.
The state's educational department, public security department, local financial regulatory bureau and communications administration will also participate in the action, the commission's statement said.
Cryptocurrency mining consumes huge amounts of energy, which is against China’s ‘carbon neutral’ goal.
In May, China's State Council, or cabinet, vowed to break down on bitcoin mining and trading, days after three industry bodies banned crypto-related financial and payment services, stepping up a campaign against cryptocurrencies. The price of bitcoin in India stood at Rs. 36.19 lakhs on September 14 at 5:30 pm IST.
The commission said that before September 30, those departments should investigate the information systems they are using, in order to avoid the use of any computing power to engage in illegal mining of virtual currencies.
It said they should expedite the collection of information from whistleblowers and the general public. From October, it will regularly monitor the sector and penalize those who violate the rules.