WeChat and Uber team up to offer seamless overseas ride-hailing for Chinese travellers
In a statement on Monday, Shenzhen-based Tencent said it integrated Uber into its messaging-to-payment super app WeChat, so that users can book trips in nine more countries and regions, including the US, UK, France and Australia.
Mainland Chinese users of WeChat can already hail Uber rides in Hong Kong and Japan by tapping the Uber mini-programme inside the all-purpose app.
Tencent highlighted the convenience of not having to download a stand-alone Uber app to hail rides overseas. Instead, WeChat users can rely on the familiar Mandarin user interface and pay with WeChat Pay or WeChat Pay HK, the Hong Kong version of the mobile payment service, instead of using cash or credit cards.
The tie-up would help to enrich WeChat's functions, serve Chinese travellers when they are abroad, and also give Uber access to WeChat's vast user base.
This photo taken on July 10, 2022 shows the Tencent headquarters in Shenzhen, in China's southern Guangdong province. Photo: AFP
With over 1.3 billion monthly active users, the 13-year-old WeChat – known as Weixin in mainland China – has become an integral part of digital daily life in the world's second-largest economy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
39 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Can Hong Kong's IPO boom plug the hole in the city's floundering office market?
In the first instalment of our two-part series on Hong Kong's beleaguered property market, industry players pin their hopes on the resurgent IPO scene to boost office uptake and ease the pain for developers struggling with US$18.8 billion of loans. Advertisement KGI Financial Holding's expansion in Hong Kong has breathed new life into the city's struggling commercial real estate sector, with the Taiwanese financial firm leasing about 40,000 sq ft of space in the central business district. Managing nearly US$135 billion of assets, the diversified financial group has expanded its existing securities and venture operations, and more recently opened the first overseas branch of KGI Bank , burnishing the city's image as a global financial hub. 'As an international financial centre, Hong Kong boasts of highly developed financial infrastructure and professional services,' said Kate Lin, president of KGI Bank. 'Its capital markets and financial industry are well-established, offering abundant funding support to businesses across various sectors.' The Hong Kong branch 'marks an important milestone for KGI Bank in developing overseas markets', Lin said in a written reply to the Post, as it sought deeper collaboration with other units in the group on cross-border capital management, financing and wealth management solutions for corporate and high-net-worth clients. A foggy view of Central, Hong Kong's main central business district. Photo: Eugene Lee The group, through KGI Securities, spent about HK$4 million (US$509,561) a month to rent the 33rd and 34th floors of One Pacific Place , the former headquarters of Swire Pacific – the parent of Swire Properties – which owns the 36-storey grade A office tower, according to sources.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
China's safeguarding of cultural heritage signals its global ambition
China is making its cultural heritage protection a national priority – and a pillar of its global identity. As one of the world's fastest-growing art markets, China has taken steps in recent years to better safeguard its cultural heritage, both at home and abroad. From restoring ancient sites to recovering looted antiquities and building museums at a rapid rate, these efforts reflect more than a conservation push. They signal that the world's most populous nation views the protection of its antiquities as central to its national identity and role on the global stage. President Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasised the importance of cultural preservation , making it a hallmark of his governance. Since taking office in 2012, he has addressed the issue repeatedly in inspection tours and key speeches, underscoring that heritage is integral to the 'cultural confidence' China is promoting as part of his core ideologies. This concept – that Chinese culture, values and history are not subordinate to those of other nations but stand on equal, if not greater, footing – reflects a belief that China's long and complex civilisation is not only a source of pride but also a guiding force for modern life and, increasingly, a tool of soft power This vision is taking shape through concrete policy and action. Historic neighbourhoods in cities such as Fuzhou – where Xi famously clashed with developers over conservation – are now protected and undergoing restoration. This shift represents a broader national trend of safeguarding urban cultural heritage in the face of modernisation. In Xi's first decade in office, China's central government allocated over 100 billion yuan (US$14 billion) to cultural heritage protection, more than doubling the number of national priority protected cultural sites and adding eight Chinese sites to the Unesco World Heritage list. China now has the second largest number of World Heritage sites at 60, in close competition with Italy and its 61 sites.
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
How do Hong Kong's new taxi fleets stack up? Post journalists tried… but could only order one car
Read more: Hongkongers have long complained about surly service and the lack of electronic payment options in the city's taxi service. Five premium taxi fleets have launched in the city that claim to offer customers a more premium option. However, it comes at a significantly hefty price. The Post sent five of its journalists to test the new fleets, comparing time, experience and cost. But the experiment didn't go according to plan.
