The Solana Foundation postponed the Shanghai morning agenda of its Accelerate China 2026 event after attendees reportedly met officers outside the venue. The foundation cited venue logistics and has not confirmed the cause or a new date. Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao questioned whether the organizers knew China's local policies.
The Solana Foundation postponed the Shanghai morning agenda of Solana Accelerate China 2026 on October 16 after attendees reportedly encountered officers outside the venue and could not enter. The foundation cited venue logistics, but it did not confirm what caused the disruption or provide a replacement date.
Attendees report officers at the Shanghai venue
Some attendees said they waited approximately 90 minutes without gaining entry, while a separate account described eight or nine officers stationed at the Shangri-La Hotel. The disruption hit the opening day of Solana's planned four-city tour across mainland China.
Organizers' notice said the morning sessions were postponed because of logistical arrangements at the venue. However, the notice did not identify a regulatory violation, confirm that authorities had ordered a shutdown, or give a new starting time.
CZ questions Solana's grasp of local rules
The reaction came a day after CZ praised Solana for securing an office in Shanghai and advertising across the city on October 15. He noted that BNB Chain had not achieved the same access.
After the Shanghai reports, CZ replied to an attendee's account. According to Zhao on X: "Sad to see. Looks like they really didn't know the local policies?" He did not provide evidence identifying the reason for the suspension.
This is not the first such episode. A Solana-themed event in Shenzhen was cut short after local police made inquiries in October 2025, and organizers attributed the disruption to overcrowding.
China keeps its crypto restrictions
In February 2026, regulators reiterated the prohibition on unauthorized cryptocurrency business activities, banned unauthorized offshore issuance of yuan-pegged stablecoins, and tightened controls on tokenized real-world assets. China has not banned blockchain technology itself, according to Cryptonews.
Still, no public statement from Chinese authorities had confirmed that the Shanghai event violated those requirements.
Three more China stops remain on the schedule
The Foundation's event schedule listed Hangzhou on October 18, Shenzhen on October 20, and Beijing on October 22 after Shanghai. No confirmed changes to those events had been announced, and no new date or time for the Shanghai sessions was public.
Sources: Cryptonews, crypto.news
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