China has initiated a comprehensive digital transformation strategy designed to eliminate technological barriers for international travelers and overseas visitors. Spearheaded by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) in collaboration with ten additional government agencies, the newly released “Implementation Guidelines on Improving the Convenience of Digital Services for Inbound Overseas Visitors” establishes a detailed, two-phase roadmap to modernize and internationalize the nation’s digital ecosystem.
The initiative directly confronts longstanding challenges faced by foreign nationals in areas including mobile payment authentication, telecommunications service registration, and public transportation ticketing. A primary objective is to decouple essential services from domestic assumptions, such as the previous requirement for a Chinese phone number for SMS verification on payment platforms like Alipay. The guidelines mandate the adoption of international standards, encouraging urban transit systems to accept foreign bank cards and requiring transportation apps to provide robust multilingual support.
To address immediate connectivity needs, the policy instructs telecom providers to simplify online portals for foreigners and proposes establishing physical service kiosks at major international airports. In financial services, the push for alignment with global norms includes supporting a wider array of overseas electronic wallets and expanding ‘deposit-free’ policies on digital platforms.
The transformation extends beyond travel and payments. The guidelines promote the development of international digital medical platforms in partnership with global insurance companies to facilitate secure health data sharing for visitors. While championing greater openness, the document simultaneously emphasizes strengthened data security governance, calling for enhanced protection of critical information infrastructure and personal data, particularly in high-frequency scenarios like cross-border payments.
Authorities anticipate that smoothing these digital pain points will unlock greater spending by inbound visitors, boost sectors such as tourism and hospitality, and provide significant momentum for the digital economy. Ultimately, this digital overhaul is positioned as a ‘golden calling card’ for China’s broader campaign of high-standard opening-up, aimed at fostering deeper international cooperation and exchange.