At its strongest level on Tuesday, the yuan
was changing hands at 6.5151 against the U.S. dollar, pushing gains to
more than 6 percent this year, according to Reuters data. The currency's
appreciation had quickened its pace in August, marking its best month
in 2017.
The yuan has strengthened much
faster than expected, and it's even bucked the trend. While other Asian
currencies have been falling in the face of rising political tensions
between the U.S. and North Korea, the Chinese yuan has actually
continued appreciating. Experts say the central bank has succeeded in
demonstrating it can withstand downward pressure on the currency by
tightening capital controls and with foreign exchange intervention.
There's even some talk that the yuan is becoming something of a safe-haven play.
The government's capacity for
control "positions the Chinese yuan and China as a source of stability
amid uncertain political and economic times," wrote Callum Henderson,
managing director at risk consultancy Eurasia Group, in a note. And "it
avoids any possibility that the U.S. administration could accuse China
of weakening its currency ahead of the 19th Party Congress and President Donald Trump's visit to China."
China's 19th Party Congress is
set to kick off mid-October, and it's the country's most important
political event in five years, culminating with a change in the upper
echelons of leadership. For Beijing, maintaining stability in its
economy and markets is a major priority ahead of the power shuffle,
which is why the government has been working overtime to support the
yuan.
The currency has also been buoyed by a weaker U.S. dollar
as buying sentiment for the greenback has soured as the U.S. Federal
Reserve has continued signaling it's unlikely to change interest rates
for the rest of this year.
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