PAY IT EASY
▶ China takes fast, effective move to solve payment difficulties of international arrivals, facilitate foreigners's stay
When Lucas Fan received his friend Jim in Beijing in June 2023, Lucas had to order a taxi for Jim every time he needed one as Jim, from Ireland, could not link his international bank card with WeChat or Alipay payment functions. As the two main social networking apps in China, WeChat and Alipay are virtually indispensable in nearly every aspect of daily life, from chatting, working to shopping, and from taxi-hailing to making electronic payments.
But had Jim pushed his visit back by a month, he would have found it more convenient to travel as a foreigner in China. Alipay and WeChat Pay started to comprehensively upgrade their systems in July 2023 to optimize support for international bank cards to better serve a growing number of international travelers along with bolstering international exchanges.
According to official data, in 2023, the national border inspection authorities checked in a total of 210 million inbound travelers, recovering to 62.9 percent of 2019 levels and the number is expected to continue to grow in 2024.
“This [payment difficulty of foreigners] is indeed an unexpected new problem as mobile payment has developed very rapidly in China,” Sun Yeli, Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism, told domestic and foreign journalists after the closing of China’s annual national legislative session in Beijing.
Sun noted that the Chinese central authorities have paid great attention to this issue and have established a coordination mechanism to solve it.
“We are optimizing each step of the inbound tourism process, streamlining procedures ranging from visa applications to flight arrangements, hotel check-ins, shopping, and sightseeing. With the implementation of these measures, foreign tourists visiting China will enjoy the same level of convenience in accommodation, transportation, and shopping as domestic tourists,” Sun said.
“We sincerely welcome tourists from all over the world to visit China, enjoy the charm of Chinese culture discover rapid changes in the country, and experience the hospitality of the Chinese people,” Sun noted.