Pakistan will do anything to get cheap oil as its economic crisis drags on — including paying for it in the Chinese yuan

• Pakistan, a country reliant on imported energy, is mired in an energy crisis.
• It's in such dire straits that it's joining a list of countries moving away from US dollar-denominated trade.
• An energy official signaled the country could use the CNY to pay for Russian crude oil, per a report.

The Chinese yuan is gaining traction in cross-border payments — even for trades that don't involve China.