China's digital push accelerates

Dismantling barriers

China's digital economy push is also extending into cross-border services, as the country seeks to make digital systems easier for foreign visitors to use while helping Chinese businesses find overseas opportunities.

At this year's conference, a special campaign was launched to improve digital services for foreigners entering China in six key cities with relatively strong digital service foundations and large inbound visitor numbers: Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Sanya.

The campaign aims to develop a group of landmark application scenarios in about one year, focusing on digital barriers foreign visitors may face in residence, healthcare, payment, tourism and public services.

Through pilot programs in key cities, the initiative is expected to help raise the overall level of inbound digital services nationwide and support the development of an interconnected, inclusive and mutually recognized digital service system.

The campaign follows a broader national policy push. According to an implementation guideline jointly issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China and 10 other departments in February, China aims to significantly improve the internationalization and convenience of digital services for inbound tourists by 2027 and reach a leading international level by 2030.

For instance, Chengdu, the only city in central and western China included in the campaign, has introduced a range of measures to make digital services more accessible to foreign visitors.

In public transport, foreign bank cards can be used directly at bus and metro gates. Bilingual announcements now cover all metro trains and stations, while more than 400 stations have been equipped with multilingual translation devices.

"Being able to take the metro in Chengdu with a foreign bank card gives me peace of mind because it is a payment method I am familiar with," said a US tourist who had just enabled small-value password-free payment.

Chengdu has also expanded payment access for foreigners. The city has 4,914 cash self-service machines that accept foreign bank cards for renminbi withdrawals, while 67,000 merchants accept foreign cards. More than 40 e-wallets from 14 countries can now be used in the city, and 100,000 merchants support Alipay's tap-to-pay service.

In dining, shopping and entertainment areas, major chain brands such as Starbucks and Haidilao have achieved full bilingual digital service coverage. Eight most-loved sites by tourists, including Chunxi Road, Jiaozi Park and Kuanzhai Alley, have also largely achieved full bilingual menu coverage.

The digital economy's outward-facing role was also highlighted at the conference, with a key country digital economy cooperation demand list released to provide more targeted support for Chinese businesses expanding overseas through digital technologies.

Drawing on the integration of overseas Chinese networks and digital intelligence, Zhang Huaxie, vice-chairman of the China-Africa Cultural Promotion Association, has led a team to establish digital cooperation sites in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Zhang said China's blockchain traceability system and AI customer service have been introduced to a local business platform in Zimbabwe, which has not only improved the credibility of local agricultural and livestock products, but also trained local merchants in digital operations, helping cultivate local talent with digital business capabilities.

"Chinese technology going global is not a one-way export of products, but a two-way collaboration that takes into account both commercial returns and local industrial development," Zhang said.