China to create better payment environment for foreigners

BEIJING, Dec. 28 -- China will continue to work on accepting foreign bank cards, mobile payments, cash use and account services to create a more convenient payment environment for foreign visitors, said a central bank official on Thursday.

Many foreign visitors use bank cards and cash when making payments in China, but mobile payment is more the norm in the country, making it inconvenient for foreigners when they make payments, said Zhang Qingsong, deputy governor of the People's Bank of China.

Efforts will be made to make foreign bank cards more widely accepted by businesses in major business districts, airports and train stations, said Zhang.

The central bank has guided Alipay, Tenpay, China UnionPay, and other institutions to enrich the supply of mobile payment products and has been developing digital yuan solutions to meet the mobile payment needs of foreigners, Zhang said.

ATMs will be upgraded to accept foreign cards for cash withdrawal, and commercial banks will optimize account-opening processes to make it easier for foreigners to open a bank account in China, said Zhang.

Source: Xinhua