Yuan exceeds dollar in China’s bilateral trade for first time

SHANGHAI/TOKYO — The yuan was used in 49% of China’s cross-border transactions last quarter, topping the dollar for the first time, a Nikkei analysis shows, mainly due to a more open capital market and more yuan-based trade with Russia.

Nikkei looked at international trade by companies, individuals and investors based on currency, using statistical data from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of China. Nikkei’s compilation does not include yuan-based settlements for trades and capital transactions that do not involve China as a counterparty.