The cheap Yuan, while acting as the engine that has driven the Chinese economy by making exports attractive to overseas buyers, is a double-edged sword.  As I have mentioned, elsewhere, in blogs, articles, and reports, it costs me less than US$1 for lunch, but a small bottle of Listerine costs me a week's worth of lunches.  In addition, minerals, like oil, steel, and copper are priced in the world market, although petroleum products are subsidized by the government.  That, on the other hand, makes those minerals valuable, and it is not uncommon to find that, overnight, someone has stolen a manhole cover or the lights out of a tunnel.  The melted down steel of the manhole cover or the copper or tungsten wiring from lighting are very valuable, in terms of the buying power of the Yuan.