Gold bars of various values are stored in a safe deposit room in Munich, Germany, on Jan 28. (Photo: Reuters)
China is one of the world's largest buyers of gold as central banks shift towards the precious metal, which has overtaken US Treasuries to become the world's top reserve asset amid higher valuations and its appeal as a geopolitical hedge, the European Central Bank said.The world's second-largest economy was the fourth-largest per-country buyer of gold in 2025 after Poland, Kazakhstan and Brazil, purchasing about 25 tonnes, the ECB stated. It estimated that China had bought more than 350 tonnes of gold since early 2022, more than any other country.
Gold accounted for 27% global official foreign reserves at the end of 2025. By contrast, US Treasury bonds - long considered one of the world's safest reserve assets - fell to 22%, with the euro making up 15%. Those figures comprised both foreign exchange holdings and gold, the Frankfurt-based central bank said in a report this week.
Gold's share topped Treasuries and the euro mainly because of "valuation effects", with prices rising by about 60% last year and 30% in 2024, according to the report. These gains "mechanically increase the share of gold in total official foreign reserves", the central bank said.
