Xinhua News Agency, Guangzhou, April 20 (Xinhua) -- From the perspective of the Canton Fair, foreign payment facilitation in China

Xinhua News Agency reporters Meng Yingru and Ding Le

The 135th China Import and Export Fair was held in Guangzhou from April 15 to May 5. As of the 19th, more than 125,000 overseas buyers from 212 countries and regions participated in the conference offline, an increase of 23.2% over the same period of the previous session.

Transactions and negotiations are unfolding, and orders are linked from China to all over the world. A number of departments and financial institutions have made efforts to accelerate the flow of people, logistics and capital with diversified and convenient payment solutions.

Financial facilitation link Canton Fair

Musta, an "old Canton Communicator" Jordanian businessman, has a new experience. In the service area of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in the venue, he put his ID card on the self-service foreign currency exchange machine for identification, and then put in the euro, and soon the RMB cash came out, "The self-service exchange machine is really convenient, I have seen it in different places in the venue." ”

Kevin, a foreign businessman, directly exchanged and recharged the digital yuan hard wallet to get a card. By touching the POS machine, he successfully bought a bowl of noodles for lunch at the noodle restaurant. "This card is very meaningful and I will keep it. He said.

Previously, Wang Shouwen, international trade negotiator and vice minister of the Ministry of Commerce, introduced at a press conference that from the survey, among the most commonly used payment methods by overseas buyers in Guangzhou, cash accounted for 52%, mobile payment accounted for 33%, and bank cards accounted for 15%.

Taking out a Visa card, Filipino buyer Marvin directly inserted it into the POS machine to pay, then picked up the coffee, and walked around the Canton Fair while drinking, paying "silky" without jamming. China Construction Bank Guangdong Branch has set up about 50 POS machines with foreign card payment function in the venue, which is convenient for overseas merchants to pay directly at office windows, convenience stores, fast food restaurants and other places. At the same time, CCB upgraded the "3D Digital Pavilion" on the official website of the Canton Fair to provide services such as international settlement, trade finance, and global matchmaking through digital docking.

Employees of Bank of China Canton Fair Sub-branch guide overseas buyers to handle self-service exchange at the Canton Fair venue. (Photo by Huang Aidi)

Oliver, a foreign businessman who has participated in the Canton Fair many times, decided to open a personal settlement account in a branch of the Bank of Guangzhou to meet the needs of consumption in Guangzhou. The foreign language service specialist of Bank of Guangzhou showed him the English version of the account opening form and account opening service guide. He successfully opened a bank account and sighed: "Life in China is becoming more and more convenient!"

A number of financial institutions stationed at the Canton Fair venues have reported that compared with the previous session, the overall business volume this year has increased significantly. "The cash exchange business only needs to be handled by yourself with a valid identity document. The exchange machine automatically recognizes the currency and the denomination for currency conversion. Yao Xuan, president of the Canton Fair branch of the Bank of China, introduced that from April 15 to 18, about 2,000 people handled exchange and cash withdrawal business at the service points of the Bank of China in the Canton Fair venue, and about 130 new accounts were opened.

Payment facilitation helps overseas merchants travel smoothly

Outside the venue, payment facilitation measures have already been rolled out in an all-round way. Starting from the entry into Guangzhou, Baiyun International Airport has set up a payment service consultation desk for overseas guests in a conspicuous position, which publicizes relevant policies in multiple languages and guides inbound personnel to open electronic payment on the spot. "We guide stores to support the use of international standardized credit cards with Visa, Master, American Express and other logos, and the foreign card POS machines in airport stores should be at least 'one shop'. The relevant person in charge of the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce introduced.

The staff of China Construction Bank assisted the physical merchants to open the overseas bank card payment function of the POS machine. (Photo by Chen Jiajia)

During the Canton Fair, the flow of people in business districts such as Padai and Wanshengwei around the venue, tourist attractions such as Canton Tower and Haizhu Wetland, as well as various characteristic restaurants and other places increased significantly. Since April 11, many merchants and foreign-related hotels, tens of thousands of taxis, subways, buses and other major means of transportation have joined the "Inbound Consumption-Friendly Business District Co-construction Plan" initiated by Ant Group.

"Now China and Thailand travel visa-free convenience, we come to Guangzhou for morning tea, go to convenience stores, do not need additional verification, download Alipay bound bank card to pay, consumption and travel without obstacles!" said Thai merchant Pu Natong, "China's mobile payment is like a treasure chest, fast and good." ”

WeChat Pay launched the "Changxing Flower City" Inbound Payment Convenience Service Month, which not only continued to optimize the product process experience such as card binding, but also provided services in terms of bilingual guidance and help desk consultation. It is understood that taking the Canton Fair as an opportunity, WeChat Pay will launch an inbound payment facilitation service action across the country to help overseas personnel travel smoothly in terms of products, services, and full-scene guidance.

Create a full-scenario compatible payment format

Swipe the card at the accommodation, taste Cantonese cuisine and scan the code...... Every time French businessman Natalie comes to the Canton Fair to stay at the White Swan Hotel, she feels that the payment is more and more convenient. In the first phase of the Canton Fair, the opening rate here is 100%, and the next superimposed "May Day" holiday is expected to be more popular.

"We support cash, bank cards, QR code payment, checks, corporate transfers, account registration, etc. Among them, scanning code payment supports both domestic App scanning and overseas wallet scanning. Lin Zhenhai, general manager of White Swan Hotel, said that we fully respect the payment habits of all guests, and further enhance the compatibility and convenience of payment methods in various consumption scenarios such as guest rooms, restaurants, and shops.

The penetration rate of mobile payment in China is high, but some people outside the country are not familiar with it. Financial institutions continue to improve measures such as overseas bank card acceptance, mobile payment, cash use, and account services.

"We fully respect the payment habits of inbound personnel mainly using bank cards, and focus on improving the overseas bank card acceptance environment. Ye Mao, deputy director of the business management department of the Guangdong branch of the People's Bank of China, said that they have linked up with local departments to focus on "food, housing, transportation, travel, shopping, entertainment, medicine" and other scenarios, and transformed the credit card machines of 14,000 key merchants in 17 key areas with outstanding foreign-related characteristics in Guangzhou to accept overseas mainstream bank cards.

Providing more diversified and inclusive payment services for overseas personnel in China is one of the key directions for financial institutions to make efforts. In March this year, the General Office of the State Council officially issued the "Opinions on Further Optimizing Payment Services and Improving Payment Convenience", which put forward a series of requirements for financial institutions to improve the payment service system. "Guangzhou will take a series of special measures to create a sample of Hong Kong and Macao people's living in the same city, build a demonstration area for optimizing payment services, and strengthen the service guarantee of the first stop of entry, so as to provide a convenient and friendly first-class payment service experience. Xu Xiubin, deputy director of the Office of the Financial Commission of the Guangzhou Municipal Party Committee, said.