On September 24, 2026, Chinese media outlet Cankao Xiaoxi reported, citing the Financial Times (FT) of the UK, that China this year imported over 1,000 tons of gold, having invested a record amount of funds.

The article introduced that, according to information conveyed by the FT's website on the 22nd, China, the world's second-largest economy, imported over 1,000 tons of gold from January to August this year, with the amount spent on purchases reaching 158.8 billion US dollars (approximately 25 trillion yen). It also reported that these figures already surpassed last year's total imports of 886 tons and purchase amount of 96.5 billion US dollars (approximately 15.2 trillion yen).

Furthermore, it stated that while China temporarily slowed down its gold procurement during the period of sharp price increases from early last year until around January this year, it has now significantly recovered its import volume.

It then mentioned that the increasing gold import volume is backed by signs that Chinese investors are expanding their gold purchases to diversify their assets. In July this year, China's holdings of US Treasury bonds decreased to 618 billion US dollars (approximately 97.4 trillion yen), reaching their lowest level in 18 years. Meanwhile, it reported that amid rising geopolitical tensions abroad, the People's Bank of China (the central bank) and domestic investors are successively shifting their funds towards gold.

Furthermore, it introduced that Liu Sha, Managing Director at Jinshan Asset Management, a subsidiary of Zijin Mining, pointed out that this is not a short-term trade but a structural reallocation over several years by households and government assets. She also indicated that this situation is expected to persist as long as economic growth and geopolitical uncertainties continue.

The article pointed out that as government bonds no longer move inversely to the stock market, the importance of gold as a tool for diversifying assets is increasingly growing for investors worldwide. It also mentioned that Christopher Hamilton, Head of Client Solutions for Asia Pacific at Invesco US, expressed the view that investors find themselves in an environment where they desire to hold physical assets. (Edited and Translated by Kawajiri)