Top Hong Kong officials drop out of Bitcoin conference after advice to avoid Eric Trump

Two senior Hong Kong figures, Eric Yip Chee-hang of the Securities and Futures Commission and legislator Johnny Ng Kit-chong, have pulled out of an upcoming Bitcoin conference where Eric Trump is scheduled to speak, according to a new report from the South China Morning Post.

In early July, the conference confirmed that the son of US President Donald Trump was locked in as a headline speaker at the Bitcoin Asia conference scheduled for August 28-29. He is set to talk about Bitcoin’s future and Asia’s growing role.

As of July 14, Yip and Ng were still listed as keynote speakers, but by August 28, both had been quietly removed from the program.

Lawmakers were quietly told to stay away from the Bitcoin Asia event if Eric Trump was present, two sources familiar with the matter told SCMP. It’s unclear who issued the advisory, however.

“There is a request to lawmakers, asking them not to attend the forum that also features Trump’s son,” said one source. “And I think we all understood the reason.”

American Bitcoin, supported by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., is in discussions to acquire a company in Japan and potentially in Hong Kong to use as regional crypto treasury vehicles, the Financial Times reported earlier this month.