Yuan strengthens past key level as dollar weakens on tariff tensions

by Anadolu Agency

BEIJING

The Chinese yuan strengthened against the US dollar, with the exchange rate moving past the key 7-per-dollar threshold for the first time since September 2022, as weakness in the dollar followed political and trade-related developments involving the United States.

The yuan-dollar parity fell to 6.9929, marking the Chinese currency’s strongest level in more than three years, after a decline in the US Dollar Index linked to discussions surrounding Greenland.

US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats against about eight European countries — tied to their compliance with his annexation of Greenland — weighed on the dollar, triggering the broader decline in the US Dollar Index.

The yuan had been on a weakening trend against the dollar since March 2022. That decline accelerated after the US Federal Reserve began tightening monetary policy with interest rate hikes following the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the Fed raised rates, the yuan-dollar exchange rate moved above the 7-per-dollar level in September 2022. In the same month, the Chinese currency fell to its weakest level since the 2008 global financial crisis.

The recent move below the 7-per-dollar threshold signals a notable reversal after years of pressure on the yuan driven by global monetary tightening and shifting trade dynamics.

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