Apple today announced it had partnered with China UnionPay, the state-run company that is the country's only bank-card issuer, to bring Apple Pay to the People's Republic of China.
Apple Pay works on the latest iPhone models -- including last year's iPhone 6 and this year's 6S -- and relies on near-field communication to let users tap their smartphones on check-out point-of-sale readers to authorize payment.
The Apple Watch can also make Apple Pay payments when paired with an iPhone 5 or later.
Today's announcement built on the existing relationship between Apple and China UnionPay: In November 2014, the two firms struck a deal that allowed UnionPay-issued credit and debit cards to pay for digital goods on the App Store.
Apple Pay will roll out to UnionPay cardholders in the PRC "as soon as early 2016," Apple said.
