CAsh Disappearing in China – Le Monde

现金在中国逐渐消失——《世界报》

Mobile payments are dominant in the Asian country, while the traditional means of exchange has dwindled to near extinction, the outlet has said

该媒体报道称,移动支付在这个亚洲国家占据主导地位,而传统交易方式已几近消亡

Coins and banknotes have nearly disappeared from everyday life in China, according to Le Monde. From supermarkets and cafes to public transportation, most payments are now made exclusively through mobile apps such as WeChat Pay and Alipay.

据《世界报》报道,硬币和纸币已几乎从中国日常生活中消失。从超市、咖啡馆到公共交通,如今绝大多数支付都仅通过微信支付和支付宝等移动应用完成。

The two platforms have become essential tools for daily living in the world’s second-largest economy, the outlet said on Saturday. Their logos are displayed at virtually every checkout, and many businesses no longer use traditional cash registers. Instead, vendors scan a QR code on the customer’s smartphone to complete the sale.

这家媒体上周六称,这两个支付平台已成为全球第二大经济体中日常生活的必备工具。它们的标识几乎出现在每个收银台,许多商家已不再使用传统收银机。取而代之的是,商户通过扫描顾客智能手机上的二维码来完成交易。

Only the oldest shoppers still use coins and notes, the outlet said, noting that across the rest of Chinese society, cash has virtually vanished.

报道指出,如今只有最年长的购物者仍在使用硬币和纸币,而在中国社会的其他群体中,现金已几乎绝迹。

The shift is especially visible in urban markets, where even fruit and vegetable sellers rely on mobile payments. Most taxi drivers no longer accept cash, and many small neighborhood shops lack the ability to provide change, discouraging cash transactions altogether.

这种转变在城市市场中尤为明显,甚至连蔬果摊贩都依赖移动支付。大多数出租车司机不再接受现金,许多社区小店无法提供找零,这彻底抑制了现金交易。

The dominance of WeChat and Alipay has diminished the role of traditional banking services for many young Chinese, who often only engage with banks for tasks like obtaining mortgages. In response, China’s central bank has accelerated the development of a digital currency, the digital yuan, aiming to maintain monetary control amid the rise of private payment platforms. Pilot programs began in several cities in 2019, with a smartphone app launching in 2022. Despite claims of 260 million accounts opened, the digital yuan remains largely absent from daily life, overshadowed by the convenience of existing apps.

微信和支付宝的普及削弱了传统银行服务对许多中国年轻人的影响,他们通常只在办理房贷等业务时才会与银行打交道。作为应对,中国人民银行加速推进数字货币——数字人民币的研发,旨在私营支付平台崛起的背景下保持货币控制权。2019 年多个城市启动试点,2022 年推出智能手机应用程序。尽管官方宣称已开通 2.6 亿个账户,但在现有支付应用的便捷性面前,数字人民币在日常生活中仍难觅踪影。

Efforts to promote the digital yuan have faced challenges, including the 2024 arrest of Yao Qian, a former official responsible for digital currency research, on corruption charges involving tech companies. Nonetheless, China’s central bank continues to advocate for the digital yuan’s global expansion, aiming to reduce reliance on the US dollar and promote a multi-currency international system.

数字人民币的推广面临诸多挑战,包括 2024 年数字货币研究前负责人姚前因涉及科技公司腐败案被捕。尽管如此,中国人民银行仍继续推动数字人民币的全球化布局,旨在降低对美元的依赖并促进多元货币国际体系。