Apple and Samsung are to launch their respective mobile payments services in China in early 2016 in partnership with China UnionPay and local banks.
Earlier this week, China UnionPay announced the launch of its QuickPass app in association with 20 banks. The HCE-based contactless mobile payment service lets customers with Android handsets make NFC-based payments at more than 10,000 locations, including at Carrefour, McDonald's and Watsons.
The partnership with Apple and Samsung forms part of a multi-plank strategy to offer a full range of mobile payment options to cardholders.
The vast Chinese market is a much coveted sector by both brands, who will battle it out for market share with entrenched local tech giant Tencent and its popular WeChat app and Alibaba's Alipay affiliate.
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, says: “China is an extremely important market for Apple and with China UnionPay and support from 15 of China’s leading banks, users will soon have a convenient, private and secure payment experience.”