Tencent’s WeChat ties up with digital wallets of China’s Big Telcos in latest breach of mobile payments ‘walled garden’
- Users of digital wallets from China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom can now make payments by scanning WeChat QR codes
- Since 2021, Beijing has been calling on the country’s Big Tech firms to dismantle the digital barriers around their ecosystems
Tencent Holdings has partnered up with China’s three biggest telecommunications operators, allowing users of digital wallets from China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom to make payments by scanning WeChat QR codes, in the tech giant’s latest effort to improve interoperability of internet services under Beijing’s directive.
“In recent years, WeChat Pay has continued to push for openness and interconnectivity with various organisations in multiple scenarios,” Tencent’s WeChat team said in an announcement on Friday, adding that it has worked with close to 30 banks and several payments organisations on similar services.
Tencent’s move comes amid Beijing’s calls to dismantle the “walled gardens” operated by China’s Big Tech firms, which have long built barriers around their ecosystems and blocked links to rival services.
The government initiative formed part of a wider regulatory crackdown by Beijing on issues such as monopolistic practices, cybersecurity and consumer rights.
Despite ongoing efforts to break down the virtual walls between tech services, internet users still cannot move money directly between WeChat Pay and Ant Group’s Alipay – China’s two leading mobile-payment systems that together account for over 90 per cent of the domestic market.
