China is slowly relaxing its grip on the yuan, allowing the currency to hit record highs against the U.S. dollar.
So far this year, the yuan has gained 3% against the dollar, and that trend may well continue — especially as Beijing seeks to bolster the currency’s global role.
Historically, China has kept tight control of the yuan, limiting money flows in and out of the country. The government has even held down the exchange rate as a way to boost manufacturing and exports, prompting allegations of currency manipulation and criticism of its murky markets.
But change is afoot. China has loosened some foreign investment restrictions in recent months and made the yuan more widely accessible outside its borders.
The UK became the yuan’s newest offshore hub earlier this year, with the British pound the fourth currency to trade directly against the currency after the U.S. dollar, Australian dollar and Japanese yen.
The government has also expanded a program allowing approved foreign firms to invest in mainland stocks, and relaxed the eligibility criteria.
