China's foreign exchange reserves 2012-2024
In 2024, the foreign exchange reserves in China amounted to over 3.2 trillion U.S. dollars. Over the past years, the forex reserved had remained relatively stable. However, in the first half of 2022, the country’s dollar reserves fluctuated as a response to domestic and international crises. On the one hand, the outbreak of the Omicron variant affected the Chinese economy, on the other hand, the war in Ukraine brought uncertainty to global markets.
The world’s largest forex holder
For over 30 years, China has been the global factory and by having a trade surplus, was able to grow its reserve assets to be the largest in the world. The most prominent currency on the People’s Bank of China’s balance sheet is the U.S. dollar. One of its main applications is the stabilization of the U.S. dollar to the yuan exchange rate.
The yuan as a reserve currency
Currency can be a powerful tool that the Chinese government does not want to miss. Since the U.S. dollar is the global reserve currency, the United States has strong leverage over other countries. Therefore, to build a counterweight to American influence, Beijing works on establishing the Yuan as a second global reserve currency. So far, China has set up a reserve pool with five other nations and opened offshore clearing houses around the world.
