Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 October 2025
This chapter examines China’s efforts to elevate the international status of the Renminbi (RMB) through policy initiatives and digital transformation. It traces the evolution of RMB internationalization since the mid-2000s, highlighting milestones such as its inclusion in the IMF’s SDR basket, the expansion of RMB-denominated trade settlements, and the establishment of bilateral currency swap agreements. The chapter also discusses the challenges that remain, including limited convertibility, capital account restrictions, and the need for broader financial reforms to enhance the RMB’s safe-haven status. In parallel, it explores the progress and prospects of RMB digitalization via the Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP) system, which aims to streamline cross-border transactions and modernize China’s payment infrastructure. Together, these developments suggest that while significant strides have been made, the RMB still faces obstacles in fully competing with dominant currencies like the US dollar in the global financial system.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.