David Fickling: China's defiance of sanctions heralds a post-dollar world

By David Fickling Bloomberg News Tuesday, May 5, 2026 The fight over U.S. sanctions on China's oil refining companies is being framed as a battle over high principles. In fact, it's about raw power. Beijing on Saturday ordered five domestic refiners to ignore U.S. restrictions announced last month over their alleged connection to trade in Iranian oil. Those clashing legal mandates potentially create a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situation for the firms, and for any banks, insurers, chemicals groups, and shipping lines that deal with them. ... Dispatch continues below ... ... ADVERTISEMENT ... Bullion Star Opens in the U.S., Selling and Vaulting Gold and Silver Bullion Star is now open in the United States, offering gold and silver bullion at extremely competitive prices with free delivery. Bullion Star also offers customers a year of free vault storage along with free delivery as well as storage in its secure precious metals vault in Dallas, Texas. Storing precious metals is challenging. Homeowner's insurance seldom covers precious metals, and safe deposit boxes offered by banks are neither insured nor covered by the government deposit insurance. Bullion Star's vault is an independently run, Class III UL-rated vault with uncompromising surveillance and round-the-clock security. With Bullion Star you can transact and store your metals securely and confidentially. Your bullion is fully insured against all risks at full replacement value. Bullion Star uses five audit methods to verify the existence and correctness of your stored bullion. For more information, please visit: https://www.bullionstar.us/ Do business with proscribed entities and you'll run afoul of U.S. law; cut off ties, and you'll break Chinese law. That's the theory, at least. In practice, one of the defining features of international trade over the past decade or so has been the growth of a vast gray-zone economy skirting around the increasingly belligerent financial warfare of the great powers. ... ... For the remainder of the commentary: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-05-05/china-s-sanctions-defiance-heralds-a-post-dollar-world * * * Support GATA by purchasing Stuart Englert's "Rigged" "Rigged" is a concise explanation of government's currency market rigging policy and extensively credits GATA's work exposing it. Ten percent of sales proceeds are contributed to GATA. Buy a copy for $14.99 through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rigged-Exposing-Largest-Financial%20-History/dp/1651405204/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?keywords=rugged+stuart+englert&qid=1579708888&sr=8-2-fkmr1 * * * Help keep GATA going: GATA is a civil rights and educational organization based in the United States and tax-exempt under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Its e-mail dispatches are free, and you can subscribe at: http://www.gata.org To contribute to GATA, please visit: http://www.gata.org/node/16 Donations of $500 or more will entitle the donor to a 1-ounce silver round commemorating GATA's work: https://www.gata.org/sites/default/files/GATA-silver-round-front.png