HONG KONG — Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, praised China during a panel at BTC Asia in Hong Kong and said there is “no question” the country had “made an unbelievable mark on bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.”

“There’s no question that China is a hell of a power when it comes to this world and doing it, doing it well. By the way, I give the same credit to the Middle East. I mean, the Middle East has really embraced cryptocurrency in a massive way, and they are running and they are running fast in that endeavor,” the son of U.S. President Donald Trump said.

Trump framed the U.S.–China dynamic as central to the future of digital finance, agreeing that both countries “are definitely leading the way on cryptocurrency.”

Asked whether the topic might come up in an expected trade meeting between his father and Chinese President Xi Jinping, he suggested the agenda would likely focus on larger issues, but said he “would certainly love to talk about bitcoin.”

He also emphasized bitcoin’s role in creating a uniquely international community, calling it “one of the most diverse communities in the world» and noted that conversations about bitcoin bring together people from “different cultures, different societies, different languages, different religions.” This global network makes the asset class “great for humanity,” he said.

He positioned the U.S. under his father’s leadership as a fast mover, claiming that more progress on digital assets had been made in the seven months since Trump’s return to office than in the previous decade.

Trump described America as “winning the digital revolution” thanks to strong political backing and an influx of institutional support from Wall Street firms, sovereign wealth funds, and retirement accounts.

Elsewhere in Trump cryptoland, CoinDesk recently reported that American Bitcoin, a miner 20% owned by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump and 80% by Hut 8, is planning a September Nasdaq debut through its merger with Gryphon after raising $220 million to expand its bitcoin holdings and infrastructure.