China’s stablecoin push: Can the yuan challenge the dollar?

China is considering launching a yuan-backed stablecoin, a surprising pivot after years of cracking down on crypto and pushing the digital yuan. What’s driving this move, and what does it mean for global markets and US dollar dominance?

In this episode of Byte-Sized Insight, host Savannah Fortis speaks with Martin Chorzempa (Peterson Institute for International Economics) and Patrick Tan (ChainArgos) to unpack the policy ambitions, market realities and trust challenges facing a Chinese stablecoin. From Hong Kong to Belt and Road nations, could Beijing’s latest experiment reshape the future of money, or is it destined to remain a symbolic play?

(01:40) – Intro: China’s stablecoin push
(03:04) – The digital yuan’s (CBDC) struggles
(04:54) – Stablecoin potential in cross-border payments
(07:33) – China’s offshore vs onshore yuan
(08:45) – Can the yuan challenge dollar stablecoins?
(10:55) – Why the dollar still dominates
(12:29) – The trust problem for China’s stablecoin
(17:33) – Stablecoins as geopolitical instruments in 2025

This episode was hosted and produced by Savannah Fortis, @savannah_fortis.

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