Tencent Financial Technology said on Wednesday that U.S. PayPal users can now make purchases across China through WeChat Pay’s QR-code merchant network, with the service set to roll out to PayPal users in other markets in phases.
The upgrade is part of its 2026 Inbound Payment Service Upgrade Initiative, launched at the opening forum of the 20th Shenzhen International Financial Expo ahead of APEC 2026.
PayPal connects to WeChat Pay merchants
The integration connects TenPay Global, Tencent’s cross-border payment platform, with PayPal World, PayPal’s platform for linking major payment systems and digital wallets.
Reuters reported that Daniel Hong, Vice President of Tencent Financial Technology, said TenPay Global is now connected to PayPal World.
Tencent’s announcement said the collaboration allows PayPal users to complete payments at Weixin Pay merchants in China by scanning QR codes, with the service initially open to U.S.-based PayPal users.
Tencent said the PayPal QR-code service will allow PayPal users traveling in China to use their PayPal wallet to scan or be scanned at tens of millions of Weixin Pay merchants nationwide. The company also said additional markets will follow in phases after the initial U.S. rollout.
Tencent adds fee waivers and language support
Tencent is also adding incentives and support tools for international visitors.
Tencent is offering temporary fee waivers through 2026 to encourage use of foreign bank cards linked to WeChat Pay. Tencent’s announcement gave more detail, saying first-time users who link an international bank card to WeChat will receive a 90-day transaction fee waiver of 3% on daily spending of up to RMB 1,000.
Tencent also said it will roll out in-app payment guidance in 16 languages across Shenzhen’s ports of entry, airports, business districts, and banks ahead of APEC 2026. Tencent will expand language support and on-the-ground assistance for international users in Shenzhen before the APEC meeting in November.
APEC 2026 gives the rollout added urgency
The timing is important because China is hosting APEC 2026, and Shenzhen is preparing for more international visitors.
Tencent said the payment upgrades are timed to coincide with APEC 2026 and are designed to make digital payments more accessible for international visitors across China. The launch ceremony included officials from the Shenzhen Municipal Financial Regulatory Bureau, the People’s Bank of China Shenzhen Branch, and PayPal World, according to Tencent’s announcement.
The official Tencent statement also named Otto Abasi Williams, Senior Vice President of PayPal World and Regional Head and General Manager for PayPal Middle East and Africa, Hannah Qiu, Senior Vice President at PayPal and CEO of PayPal China, Daniel Hong, and Celine Zhang, Head of Weixin Pay Business Management, among the representatives present at the launch.
China’s mobile payments market remains difficult for visitors
The PayPal link addresses a practical problem for many foreign travelers in China: digital payments are widely used, but visitors often struggle if they do not already use local payment apps.
Ant Group’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat Pay dominate China’s digital payments market, supporting everyday transactions across retail, transport, and services in what Reuters described as the world’s largest mobile payments market.
Tencent said it pioneered the “Easy Pay with Your Home Wallets” model in 2018 through WeChat Pay HK, allowing overseas users to pay at mainland Chinese merchants using familiar e-wallets without downloading a new app. Tencent also said 36 overseas wallets have gone live through this approach, with more e-wallets from APEC economies expected to join soon.
PayPal gains a stronger China travel use case
For PayPal, the Tencent partnership could make the wallet more useful for U.S. travelers in China. Instead of setting up a new local payment app, users can rely on PayPal while still paying through the QR-code systems that dominate Chinese retail.
For Tencent, the move strengthens WeChat Pay’s role as the default payment network for foreign visitors by bringing more overseas wallets into its merchant ecosystem. It also supports China’s effort to make travel payments easier ahead of APEC 2026.
The bigger significance is that cross-border wallets are becoming more connected. Rather than forcing travelers to adapt to a completely different payment system, Tencent and PayPal are trying to make familiar wallets work inside China’s existing QR-code economy.
