The renminbi seems to be back in business as a Chinese tool of retaliation against US tariffs. A 1.5 per cent fall in the currency early this month in response to proposed new US tariffs was only a start.
Since the middle of August the renminbi has weakened further, and is now 4 per cent weaker in dollar terms than at the start of the month. We may well see more of a “weaponised” renminbi, but there are four good reasons why Beijing might be wise to think before shooting.
The first has to do with how China seeks to promote its place in the world. China has been at pains to manage the collapse of its relations with the US in a way that allows it to present itself as an alternative pillar of global order, and as a source of stability in the international system, not to mention moral authority.