You're right about that. The Chinese are anything but stupid. Having yuan be part of the SDR is not a small feat. They're not perfect, as their economy is in trouble as well. But they've been making some savvy moves, such as becoming the world's largest producer and importer of gold (to give the yuan greater juice). No gold leaves that country. Take a look at this:
http://goldsilverintel.com/infographic-chinese-gold-market/