Western Freeze on Russian Reserves Teaches Beijing the Importance of Gold
Western governments froze $300 billion of Russian central bank reserves in February 2022. This move, however, did not affect Russia's gold and yuan holdings, which remained untouched.
About €210 billion of the frozen assets were immobilized across the European Union, with a significant portion held at a single Belgian custodian, Euroclear. In contrast, Washington froze only around $5 billion directly.
China's decision to buy gold instead of Treasuries is attributed to the lesson learned from Russia's experience. Beijing realized that holding assets in another country's financial system comes with risks and is not guaranteed.
The People's Bank of China has been buying gold for 21 consecutive months, adding about 19.9 tonnes in July 2026. This trend reflects a shift towards physical gold as a safe-haven asset, particularly among reserve managers concerned about access risk rather than return on investment.