(Yicai) March 8 -- China will further enhance payment convenience and related services to meet the needs of the elderly and foreigners, according to the latest official document.

The country needs to improve the convenience of using bank cards for elderly people, foreign nationals resident in China, and other relevant groups, promote key cultural and touristic venues, merchants, transportation means, and hospitals to accept overseas bank cards, enhance the user-friendliness of mobile payments, and support internet platforms in optimizing the payment experience of foreigners, the document released yesterday by the General Office of the State Council showed.

Meanwhile, China should continue to optimize the use of cash in scenarios such as transportation, shopping, dining, entertainment, tourism, and accommodation, according to the document. Banks are required to facilitate cash payments in Chinese yuan for elderly people and foreigners, and airports, ports, and hotels with international operations will have to increase the number of foreign currency exchanges and expand the range of available foreign currencies.

Moreover, the document proposed safeguarding consumers' payment choices by requiring larger-scale commercial areas, scenic spots, hotels, transportation hubs, hospitals, and others to be equipped with hardware and software devices capable of accepting multiple payment methods, such as mobile payments, bank cards, and cash.

With the support and guidance of the People's Bank of China and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Alipay is actively implementing various measures to continuously optimize payment services for the elderly and foreign nationals residing in China, the Alibaba Group Holding-based online payment platform said.

Tenpay, the operator of Tencent Holdings-backed online payment platform WeChat Pay, announced that it would continuously enhance the payment service experience based on financial technology capabilities, creating a warm payment environment for the elderly and further facilitating the work and livelihood of foreign nationals in China.

Editor: Futura Costaglione