It is for sure that the Future belongs to Crypto Market and Steemit. Media has highlighted this issue as well in several talk shows and Bankers also tried their level best to stop the storm of BTC and Steemit but it felt all in vein.
As per China & Washington i really did not know about this factor, you highlighted in your post
An interesting sidebar is Washington's crypto regulations are so harsh that most of the exchanges will not accept customers from WA.
In Washington we have legal pot, we can mine bitcoin, but we can't trade or spend it.
Yes @brandyb is a great minnow and i am already following her by the way today I make myself official Steemian too as i wrote my first ever blog ;)
Keep writing such great pieces of information to let us know the current scenario of the BTC @whatsup
Stay Blessed, Steem On!