Recently, under the guidance of the People's Bank of China and other departments, and with the support of Chaoyang District Government, SOLANA, a European-style shopping center has been designated as the "Payment Service Demonstration Block of Chaoyang District" and the first "Inbound Consumer-Friendly Business District" in China.

Foreign merchants experience "seamless payment"

"It felt so good to scan and pay with my mobile phone just like back home!" said Rana excitedly, a 25-year-old Pakistani businessman, as he just bought two bags of pigeon feed.

This marked Rana's first visit to the Canton Fair, with Beijing as his first stop. His Chinese business partner met him at SOLANA, where they fed pigeons in the Eros Plaza with their children. To his pleasant surprise, Rana found he could swiftly conduct transactions with his mobile phone.

"Besides buying pigeon feed, the overall shopping experience here is exceptionally friendly," said Rana. During his time at SOLANA, he had a fulfilling and enjoyable day: he ordered the Very Grape Cheezo on the staff's recommendation at Heytea, bought Lyu Da Gun, or glutinous rice rolls, and panda toys at BHG Market Place, and savored Peking duck and oolong tea at TIDU. "I used my own country's e-wallet, NayaPay, for all my payments. There is no need to download Alipay or anything."

At the information desks of the shopping mall, dozens of copies of the Digital Payment Guide in both Chinese and English are neatly arranged on the shelves for consumers. Multiple English signs are also displayed prominently at the front desks, guiding foreign tourists on how to link their Visa cards or overseas e-wallets for mobile payments. "With the help of the customer service staff, I managed to obtain an 18-yuan mobile payment voucher," said Rana with a smile.

Zhang Xiaofei, General Manager of SOLANA, emphasized the importance of providing convenient payment options in improving consumer experience. Currently, every checkout counter in the mall has prominent English signs indicating "scan to pay with your home e-wallet", and Visa cards are accepted in major stores. Moreover, many restaurants not only offer English menus but also have staff members proficient in English.

Ever-expanding "circle of friends" on overseas e-wallets

Thanks to China’s ever-expanding "circle of friends" on overseas e-wallets, individuals like Rana can now travel around Beijing with just a mobile phone. On April 8, the Pakistani e-wallet NayaPay announced that it would support payments in China through Alipay+.

Foreign nationals can now use overseas e-wallets in China to pay directly by scanning QR codes of China Mobile. Currently, through integration with Alipay+, a total of 11 e-wallets from countries and regions such as the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Hong Kong SAR, and Macao SAR can be used for QR code-based transactions in the Chinese mainland.

Efforts are underway to enable users to link foreign cards with China’s mobile payment apps after downloading them. According to Alipay, this initiative now covers five major card networks, including Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners-Club, and Discover, serving tourists from 200 countries and regions. Yin Xiaolong, Global Vice President of Visa and President of Visa China, expressed his hopes to enhance the payment experience of international tourists through innovation and cooperation.

Wang Ya, Member of the CPC Committee of the Bank of China Beijing Branch, announced plans to improve the acceptance for foreign cards in key business districts like SOLANA. Additionally, extensive cash and small change exchange services will be provided to further facilitate payments for foreign visitors to China.

"Beijing Experience" to be promoted nationwide

"Beijing will comprehensively improve the acceptance for bank cards, mobile payments, cash, and other payment methods in key areas and scenarios," said Zhang Ying, Deputy Director General of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Local Financial Regulation and Supervision. The city will establish a series of demonstration zones for accessible payment services, providing foreign visitors with diversified payment options and a warm experience of the capital's financial services.

Making business districts more international is a key focus to facilitate payments. In line with the overall strategy of "prioritizing card payment for large transactions, QR code scanning for small transactions, and keeping cash as a fallback", Chaoyang District has installed foreign card POS terminals in five commercial complexes, including SKP. Additionally, plans are underway to launch a mini-program map of sites offering foreign currency exchange services in Chaoyang District, and introduce version 1.0 of the Chaoyang Foreigners Handbook in English to provide visual guidance for foreign friends.

Various commercial service enterprises are also taking proactive measures. On April 7, the Beijing Commercial Consortium (BJCC), together with relevant industry associations, introduced an initiative to optimize payment services and facilitate payments. They called on retail and catering enterprises in key business districts and scenic areas to install or upgrade terminals (POS machines) that support foreign cards, thereby enhancing the acceptance for bank cards.

On April 8, representatives from the payment, financial, and commercial service industries at home and abroad launched the "Joint Development Plan for Inbound Consumer-Friendly Business Districts" at SOLANA. Companies and institutions such as Ant Group, NetsUnion Clearing Corporation, Bank of China, Visa, Shouqianba, and DiDi were among the first to join. They will work together to promote the "Beijing Experience" of jointly building "Inbound Consumer-Friendly Business Districts" in other major cities across China over the next six months, thus enhancing the consumption experience for foreign visitors.