China’s Gold Rush Isn’t Over — It Just Moved to a Duty-Free Island and a New Trading Hub

Despite recent speculative crashes, China's underlying demand for physical gold remains strong, evidenced by surging sales in Hainan's new zero-tariff duty-free zone, where gold jewelry is significantly cheaper than on the mainland. This consumer behavior suggests the middle class is hedging against economic uncertainty rather than purely speculating. Concurrently, Beijing is executing a larger strategic move by pushing to transform Hong Kong into a major regional gold storage and trading hub, aiming to expand China's influence over international gold pricing by increasing storage capacity and aligning with the Shanghai Gold Exchange. With gold comprising only 1% of Chinese household assets, the structural demand is far from exhausted, and China is now building the infrastructure to set global prices.

(Source：BeInCrypto)