? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?China moves to provide convenient payment services for foreigners

A passenger scans a QR code of Alipay, a mobile payment app, to take subway at the

Fengtan Road Subway Station in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 27, 2017. (File photo: Xinhua)

The People's Bank of China, the central bank, demanded concerted efforts on Thursday to allow foreigners to make easier payments in the country.

At a conference on optimizing payment services, PBOC Governor Pan Gongsheng urged comprehensive and coordinated actions in a bid to achieve concrete results in the near future.
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.
Efforts will be made to make foreign bank cards more widely accepted by businesses in major business districts, airports and train stations, said a central bank official.
Alipay, one of China's major payment apps by Ant Group, has allowed foreigners in China to pay with their overseas bank cards via the app's international version or use their familiar home e-wallets by scanning Alipay QR codes.
Next, Ant Group will work to resolve difficulties regarding foreign visitors using Alipay to take subways and buses in major Chinese cities.
Meanwhile, Chinese banks are taking measures to expand the acceptance of overseas bank cards and facilitate their use of cash in the country.
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.
Source: Xinhua News? CGTN