China to revive international yuan drive along belt and road countries
- Senior Chinese government adviser says Beijing will try to expand reach of the currency through its massive infrastructure plans
- Yuan should be used as much as possible in pricing, settlements and payments, Huang Qifan says
The yuan accounted for about 2 per cent of global reserves and 1.76 per cent of cross-border payments by the end of June, Huang said, adding: “It’s not commensurate with our country’s status as the world’s largest foreign trade country.”
He said the yuan should be used as much as possible in pricing, settlement, receipts and payments and reserves.
“[China] should accelerate internationalisation of the yuan,” he said.
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Beijing has made only limited progress over the last decade in its efforts to expand use of the yuan in international trade and investment in large part because of its firm controls over the capital account.
But the internationalisation drive is taking on fresh urgency as threats of US financial sanctions loom.
Zhang Xiaohui, former assistant governor of the People’s Bank of China, said China should be more aggressive in expanding the yuan’s reach, by signing more bilateral currency swap agreements with other central banks and making foreign donations or loans in yuan.
At the same time, China must reinforce cross-border payment infrastructure and yuan clearing and settlement services, while also reducing reliance on the Belgium-based SWIFT system, she said.
Meanwhile, Huang admitted the belt and road scheme was facing new challenges from the pandemic-induced plunge in international investment and trade.
“In this regard, we need to prepare for long-term changes in the external environment,” he said.
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President Xi Jinping unveiled the strategy in May as a way for China to survive and thrive in an increasingly unstable and hostile world.
Huang said China was willing to share its domestic market with enterprises globally, especially those that could help expand China’s domestic demand and form high-quality industrial chain clusters with Chinese peers.
