Gold strategy: why a Chinese global network of vaults would bolster yuan’s trade role

By anchoring yuan trades to gold through Hong Kong and new global vaults, Beijing will add convertibility to its currency, report says

Chinese gold miners, such as the mainland’s largest gold processor Zijin Mining, and Shandong Gold Mining, were also expected to expand “faster than most of their global peers” after Beijing reclassified gold from financial asset to “strategic mineral” in 2025, the report said.

“If you are trading in renminbi, there’s always a question as to how you are going to use the renminbi,” said Charles Chang, greater China country lead, corporates, at S&P Global Ratings. “But if that renminbi is convertible to gold, then that’s a potentially different picture. Gold is tradeable. It is usable in a lot of places.”

Alongside the launch, the SGE listed two new yuan-denominated gold contracts, which can be settled through either physical delivery or cash settlement.

Other cities under consideration for China’s vault network included gold trading hubs such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Riyadh and Moscow, the report said.