As China continues to enhance its digital payment services, foreign visitors are enjoying unprecedented ease in making cashless transactions across the country.
From seamless QR code payments to cross-border digital wallet integration, China’s latest innovations are transforming travel—especially with major international events like the recently concluded 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, Heilongjiang province.
To support this, 37 point-of-sale terminals were set up across the event’s venues, allowing foreign visitors to use their international bank cards for smooth transactions.
Thanks to the country’s efforts to improve the digital payment experience, visitors now have two options: they can link their foreign bank cards to popular domestic platforms like Alipay and WeChat Pay or use their own foreign digital wallets without needing to download additional Chinese apps.
Local government data reveals that from January 2024 to January 2025, over 860,000 mobile payment transactions were processed for foreign visitors in Heilongjiang, a 4.9-fold increase year-on-year. The total transaction value surpassed 190 million yuan ($26.16 million), representing an 8.1-fold increase, with over 144,000 foreign users taking advantage of these services—an increase of 5.8 times.
