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reference news reported on september 20according to a report on the bloomberg news website on september 17, traveling on beijing's vast subway network has become easier for foreign tourists due to the introduction of a "tap and go" service that supports credit cards issued overseas.

starting from september 13, beijing metro supports the direct use of mastercard and visa cards issued overseas to enter the station and board the train, which is more convenient for international passengers. previously, foreign passengers had to buy tickets before boarding.

beijing has reportedly become the first city in mainland china to allow foreign credit cards to be used for subway rides, a move that requires the upgrade of more than 20,000 devices at 490 stations on 27 subway lines.

the report quoted a local official as saying that the move highlights beijing's determination to expand its opening up as a center for international exchanges.

in recent months, china has expanded the list of countries from which foreigners can travel visa-free to china, with poland and australia being the latest to join the list.

according to data from the china national immigration administration, 17.25 million foreigners entered china from january to july this year. during this period, about 846,000 tourists were granted port visas, an increase of 183% over the same period last year.

mastercard global executive vice president and greater china president chang qing said in a statement, "this groundbreaking cooperation with beijing urban rail transit has made a series of cumbersome riding steps a thing of the past, making payment and consumption for inbound tourists more convenient and smoother." (compiled by liu zongya)