On December 10, 2025, UnionPay International and the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) of the Ministry of Education signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Shanghai. Both parties will leverage their respective core strengths in study abroad services and cross-border payments to deepen cooperation focusing on outbound and inbound study abroad scenarios, providing convenient and efficient financial payment services for Chinese and international students. Wang Lixin, CEO of UnionPay International, and Wang Daquan, Party Secretary and Director of the CSCSE, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations. Zhuang Bei, Vice President of UnionPay International, Sun Mengzhao, Director of the Party and Government Office of the CSCSE, and Yu Haiying, Director of the International Cooperation Department, also attended the signing ceremony.
Currently, the global study abroad market is showing a trend towards a more mass-based student body and diversified destinations, with payment security and convenience becoming core demands for both Chinese and international students. This collaboration is a key measure for both parties to implement the national policy of opening up education to the outside world at a high level. It will deeply integrate with key projects such as "Safe Study Abroad" and "Study in China," leveraging the overall advantages of the Ministry of Education's Overseas Study Service Center in the field of study abroad services, as well as UnionPay's global network and product innovation capabilities in cross-border payments, to jointly build a service system covering all aspects of inbound and outbound study abroad.
According to the agreement, both parties will deepen cooperation in six key areas: First, focusing on the core requirements of "safe study abroad," they will build a strong payment security defense for outbound students; second, they will support the "Study in China" brand building and global promotion, enhancing the international competitiveness of study abroad and travel products in China; third, they will integrate study abroad service resources and explore new paths for the development of educational informatization; fourth, they will deepen cooperation in education exhibitions and international education, expanding service coverage; fifth, they will strengthen services for attracting high-level overseas talent and improve financial support for their return to China; and sixth, they will empower overseas youth to innovate and start businesses, promoting the deep integration of international education and financial services.
UnionPay's card acceptance network covers 183 countries and regions, encompassing major study abroad destinations. Many renowned universities worldwide and online education payment platforms such as Flyback and EasyPay support UnionPay payments. Furthermore, UnionPay has partnered with several banks to launch exclusive bank card products, offering multiple card benefits such as cashback on study abroad payments. Leveraging the "Beautiful China Initiative," UnionPay continuously optimizes the payment experience for international students and other overseas visitors to China. Currently, over 200 million UnionPay cards have been issued overseas, and more than 200 partner wallets have been established. International students in China can conveniently make payments using UnionPay's "card, code, and Pay" products and easily receive remittances through UnionPay's cross-border remittance products.
As a key player in the cross-border payment sector, UnionPay will continue to improve its financial services ecosystem for international students, providing safe, convenient, and efficient cross-border payment support for Chinese and international students and related groups through its extensive global acceptance network and diversified payment product system, thus facilitating smoother cross-border educational exchanges and personnel exchanges.
