The Renminbi’s Bid for Freedom
The recent decision by the People’s Bank of China to let the renminbi fall below CN¥7 per US dollar has little to do with trade or currency wars. Rather, it represents an important step by the PBOC toward reforming China’s inflexible exchange-rate regime.
BEIJING – In early August, the renminbi’s exchange rate broke through the psychological threshold of CN¥7 per US dollar. While investors were still digesting the full significance of this event, US President Donald Trump’s administration startled the market by labeling China a “currency manipulator.”