RMB goes international

Chinese 100 yuan banknotes are seen in a counting machine while a clerk counts them at a branch of a commercial bank in Beijing, March 30, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

China made steady progress in internationalizing its currency this year. The yuan's inclusion in the International Monetary Fund Special Drawing Right currency basket in October was a big step forward.

The Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect, the second link between exchanges on the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, debuted Dec 5, a move believed to cement the yuan's status as a settlement currency.

Although the central parity rate of the Chinese currency has weakened by more than 6 percent against the US dollar this year, it remains relatively stable against other major currencies.