China ramps up efforts to establish Hong Kong gold hub with major moves in public, private miners and new market infrastructure

By Ernest Hoffman – Kitco News

China continues to ratchet up efforts to leverage Hong Kong to expand its already dominant influence over the global gold market, as the Asian giant is building up market infrastructure to woo foreign investors, while mainland mining companies tap the semiautonomous region’s stock market to fund their own overseas expansion.

According to a recent report from Nikkei Asia, the Hong Kong government has now established Hong Kong Precious Metals Central Clearing, a fully state-owned company that will start operating on a trial basis before the end of 2026. “The government also aims to expand the territory’s gold storage facilities to more than 2,000 metric tons within three years,” the report said. “It plans to work more closely with the Shanghai Gold Exchange as well.”