Success in the world’s second-largest economy is crucial for the California-based firm. Apple’s China website lists 19 Chinese lenders as official Apple Pay partners. By the end of 2015, 358 million people, more than the population of the United States, had already taken to paying by mobile phone. China’s mobile transactions were valued at some 9.3 trillion yuan (US$1.4 trillion) last year. Analysts said Apple’s iOS system could provide better security for transactions. Some users complained however of difficulties linking their bank cards. “Apple Pay needs to find the right angle to get into the market and it is not as easy as imagined,” independent technology analyst Fu Liang told, referring to the intense competition. Alibaba’s Alipay currently dominates China’s electronic payments market.
