A recent study published in the Study Times, the journal of China’s Central Party School, reveals that China views cryptocurrencies and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) as strategic assets, transforming them into tools of state power and modern warfare.
The study describes digital assets as instruments of “financial mobilization,” essential for national security. It argues that digital money allows the state to effectively redirect capital and maintain liquidity during financial crises, bank failures, or when faced with international sanctions. The underlying blockchain technology is termed a “digital logistics front,” vital for economic survival.
Digital Money and Geopolitical Strategy
The analysis frames finance as a new battlefield, with crypto forming an infrastructure for “total war.” This strategy integrates deterrence, capital mobilization, and social stability. By digitizing money flows, Beijing aims to sustain its defense industries and domestic demand, even if the global financial system fractures.
This concept involves a triad of “total war, hybrid war, and digital financial war,” positioning the digital yuan and blockchain-based settlements as strategic assets designed to operate independently of U.S. sanctions and the SWIFT network. The report explicitly states, “Digital currencies have become strategic assets in hybrid warfare, reshaping cross-border capital flows during wartime.”
This strategic shift aligns with global financial trends, such as the decline of the U.S. dollar’s share of global reserves (from 71% in 2000 to 58% in 2024). China’s efforts, such as the mBridge project—which links CBDCs from China and other nations to build a parallel payment network—underscore its goal of achieving financial autonomy under geopolitical pressure.
October 2025, Cryptoniteuae
