To thoroughly implement the decisions and arrangements made by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council and to carry out the requirements stipulated in the Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Further Optimizing Payment Services to Facilitate Payments (hereinafter referred to as the Opinions), the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) held a meeting on optimizing payment services in Shenzhen and Guangzhou respectively on April 1, 2024, aiming to strengthen cooperation with various regions, departments and industries, and to guide and urge financial institutions in Shenzhen and Guangdong to intensify their efforts to jointly advance the optimization of payment services. PBOC Deputy Governor Zhang Qingsong attended and addressed the meeting. Wang Shourui, Vice Mayor of Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, attended the meeting on optimizing payment services in Shenzhen.
It was stressed at the meeting that the CPC Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to payment facilitation. The General Office of the State Council recently issued the Opinions to make institutional arrangements for the work in this regard. Optimizing payment services is a systematic project, which requires cooperation among different departments of the government, and between central and local governments. The PBOC, as the leading unit, is working with various departments of culture and tourism, commerce, and transportation to develop work plans, specify work measures, give full play to the synergy of all parties, and actively seek support from local governments, thus effectively promoting the implementation of various tasks as soon as possible.
It was noted at the meeting that, Guangdong Province and Shenzhen City, as core engines of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), are important ports of entry for overseas visitors to China and compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao. The Guangdong Provincial Government, and the Shenzhen Municipal Government vigorously promoted the optimization of payment services, and rendered active support in terms of guidance, coordination, and resource input. Relevant departments and financial institutions made joint efforts to optimize payment services from both the supply and demand sides, and made progress in improving age-friendly services and services in international scenarios, building demonstration business districts, and advancing the connectivity of payment instruments in the GBA. The coverage of overseas bank card acceptance and ATMs supporting cash withdrawal by using overseas bank cards has been continuously expanding in key venues, facilitating Hong Kong and Macao residents in travelling, working and living in Guangdong.
It was required at the meeting that the PBOC Guangdong Provincial Branch and Shenzhen Municipal Branch should earnestly assume the responsibility of taking the lead in overall planning, and coordinate with competent agencies to form a multi-dimensional working pattern. Financial institutions in Guangdong and Shenzhen should conscientiously implement the requirements of the Opinions, focus on key institutions and key venues, and take targeted measures to optimize various services in accordance with established plans and goals, so as to provide higher-quality, more efficient and more convenient payment services for elderly people, overseas visitors to China and other groups, thus contributing to the connectivity and high-level opening-up of the GBA. Relevant parties should use a mix of methods and channels to launch targeted publicity campaigns on payment services, so as to enhance the awareness of related groups of the domestic payment services.
Attendees included officials from PBOC Guangdong Provincial Branch and Shenzhen Municipal Branch, relevant departments of the PBOC and Digital Currency Institute of the PBOC; representatives from Commerce Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, Transport Buearu of Shenzhen Municipality, Health Commission of Shenzhen Municipality and other competent agencies, as well as related industries and enterprises; and heads of financial institutions in Guangdong and Shenzhen, Guangdong Provincial Branch and Shenzhen Municipal Branch of China UnionPay, and relevant payment institutions.
