While it is probably Apple’s goal to eventually bring Apple Pay to every country possible, one of their key markets is said to be China in which Apple has been hard at work trying to bring the service to the country. We had heard that Apple would be partnering with China UnionPay to bring the service to the Chinese market, and it looks like those rumors were spot on.According to a press release from Apple, they have announced their partnership with UnionPay which will see the Cupertino company launch Apple Pay in China. The press release reads, “Apple and China UnionPay today announced a partnership to bring Apple Pay, which transforms mobile payments with an easy, secure and private way to pay, to China. China UnionPay cardholders will be able to easily add their bank cards to Apple Pay on iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad, providing added convenience and security to everyday shopping.”
As for its availability, it seems that the previous rumors were sort of right because Apple has stated that the service will be made available to users in China in early 2016. Of course this will be pending testing and certification required by Chinese regulators, but assuming all goes to plan, an early 2016 rollout is to be expected. So if you are living in China and own an iOS device, come 2016 you will be able to take Apple Pay for a spin.