Re:China Should Launch a Libra Competitor – Huawei CEO
by wuxb on Sunday July 28, 2019 @10:40AM
(#20547775)
It was open to anyone years ago, but changed to this way as it gained attention from gov. It's very unlikely to see it going backward.
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Re:China Should Launch a Libra Competitor – Huawei CEO
by chvid on Sunday July 28, 2019 @10:50AM
(#20547831)
Sorry if it was unclear - i am referring to the payment part of WeChat. Has that ever been open to non-Chinese?
Anyways it feels weird being the only who pays cash. Many places cannot provide change for a 100 yuan note (20 usd).
Re:China Should Launch a Libra Competitor – Huawei CEO
by fma on Sunday July 28, 2019 @11:19AM
(#20547971)
Yes it used to be open. Now you need a Chinese credit card. Even those who had an account before are not grandfathered in.
I'm in the US and have colleagues who go to China on business trips. It's a huge pain. It's almost impossible and no good work around.
I can't transfer money to their wechat, and they money they have, they can't send. They cant even participate in grabbing red packets. A lot of Chinesw vendors accept wechat or alipay only, and if you use cash, people get pissed off.
It's a system unfriendly to foreigners. It's a shame because I prefer it due to its ubiquity but I can't see international adoption without radical changes by the paranoid Chinese government.