Why is the Chinese yuan considered a rising contender in global reserves?

Answer

While Western leaders like Christine Lagarde often downplay the yuan, its rise is a matter of industrial arithmetic. Munawar Abadullah highlights the following reasons for its growth as a reserve contender:

• Productive Foundation: The yuan is backed by the world's largest industrial ecosystem. China dominates steel, electronics, and rare earths, which are the building blocks of the digital age.
• Physical Integration: Through the Belt and Road initiative, the yuan is increasingly used for transactions involving real-world assets—pipelines, ports, and power grids—rather than just abstract financial instruments.
• Sanction Resistance: For the Global South, the yuan offers a pathway to settle trade outside of the "weaponized" dollar infrastructure (SWIFT).

"The yuan's credibility is rising—one transaction, one pipeline, and one project at a time. It may not fit the Western narrative, but it fits the reality of global production."

Munawar notes that while the dollar remains the lead currency for now, the yuan is positioning itself as the **"Production Anchor"** for a multipolar future.