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UnionPay International Powers CIIE with Enhanced Cross-border Payment Solutions, Boosting Cross-border Trade Payments

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SHANGHAI, Nov. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) opened on November 5, welcoming nearly 3,500 exhibitors from 129 countries and regions. UnionPay International (UPI), a longstanding partner of CIIE, showcased its commitment to facilitating global trade by delivering cutting-edge, secure, and convenient payment solutions for exhibitors, buyers, and visitors.

Enhancing Payment Experiences for Global Participants

During this year’s CIIE, UPI unveiled its latest payment innovations, including the UnionPay SplendorPlus Card and the CIIE-themed Card, at the Bank of China (BOC) Shanghai Pavilion. These products attracted significant attention from domestic and international attendees, emphasizing seamless and tailored payment experiences for cross-border transactions.

As part of its broader “Project Excellence 2024”, launched earlier this year, UPI introduced the SplendorPlus Card, specifically designed for inbound international travelers. This versatile card supports multiple payment methods—physical card, QR code, and mobile payments—and offers exclusive benefits such as cashback and localized privileges across five key categories, including transportation, cultural attractions, and dining. With nearly 40 financial institutions worldwide now issuing or preparing to issue the card, UPI continues to expand its reach, enhancing connectivity between China and the global market.

Meeting Evolving Cross-border Payment Needs

UPI’s payment ecosystem has grown significantly in recent years, driven by technological innovation and an understanding of diverse global consumer preferences. To date, more than 250 million UnionPay cards have been issued in 83 countries and regions. Cardholders can access comprehensive payment services within China, including dining, retail, hotel bookings, and transportation, such as Shanghai metro ticketing and taxi services.

In addition, UPI has partnered with over 200 e-wallet providers in 36 countries and regions, enabling international users to link UnionPay cards or apply for digital cards for contactless and mobile payments, mirroring the convenience enjoyed by local residents.

To further support domestic exhibitors and buyers traveling abroad, UPI has launched a CIIE-themed card in collaboration with BOC Shanghai. This card offers domestic users a 1% cashback benefit, along with exclusive discounts at brick-and-mortar merchants in 20 countries and regions, meeting the growing demands of outbound travelers.

Driving Innovation in Cross-border Trade

Beyond enhancing payment experiences for individuals, UPI is at the forefront of driving innovation in cross-border trade. Following the State Council’s approval to establish a Silk Road E-commerce Pilot Zone in Shanghai, UPI has collaborated with key industry players to develop digital payment solutions based on cross-border electronic invoices. This initiative integrates customs declaration, invoicing, and payment settlement processes into a unified digital ecosystem, fostering transparency and efficiency in global trade.

At the Silk Road E-commerce Innovation & Development Conference, held as part of CIIE on November 7, UPI signed a memorandum of understanding with Shanghai E&P International, BoComm Shanghai, and BOC Shanghai. This collaboration marks a pivotal step in aligning Shanghai with international trade standards and promoting the adoption of electronic documentation in global commerce.

Under the guidance of regulatory authorities, UPI has pioneered standardized and compliant end-to-end solutions to address the evolving needs of cross-border e-commerce. From international airfare and hotel payments to online transactions and settlements, these solutions empower businesses to embrace digital transformation, contributing to the sustainable development of global trade.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/unionpay-international-powers-ciie-with-enhanced-cross-border-payment-solutions-boosting-cross-border-trade-payments-302305013.html

SOURCE UnionPay International

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From China Mobile’s Call Upgrade to the Commercial Launch of “Calling + AI” by Leading Operators: AI Is Reshaping the Value of Native Calling

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BEIJING, July 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On June 15, 2026, China Mobile announced a comprehensive upgrade to its traditional calling services, ushering in a next-generation calling experience defined by HD, intelligence, and security. This milestone not only marks a major leap in telecommunication innovation but also reflects a global, inevitable shift: the transformation of basic communication into intelligent, inclusive services.

Breaking Experience Barriers and Redefining the Paradigm of Basic Calling

Overcoming the limitations of traditional, voice-only interactions, China Mobile has leveraged its mature VoLTE/VoNR network foundation to deeply integrate AI models with HD audio and video capabilities. Without requiring users to change their phones or SIM cards, seven core AI functions are now seamlessly embedded into the native dialer interface.

These upgrades include Live Captions bridge communication gaps for the elderly and hearing-impaired; HD video calls and AI noise reduction create a crystal-clear, immersive calling experience; AI anti-fraud intercepts high-risk calls in real time to safeguard users’ assets. Furthermore, the introduction of Data Channel (DC) technology and visual call menus transforms standard calls into agile, interactive service windows, enabling multi-party collaboration and seamless business transactions directly within the call. Through this initiative, China Mobile has successfully evolved traditional calls from a mere voice pipeline into a secure, integrated information hub.

“Calling + AI” Becomes a Strategic Consensus Among Global Leading Operators

From a global perspective, China Mobile’s call upgrade is not an isolated milestone, but a microcosm of the global telecommunications industry’s broader transformation. Throughout 2026, major operators worldwide are accelerating the commercial deployment of “Calling + AI” solutions:

Deutsche Telekom launched Magenta AI, leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance calling across all scenarios;T-Mobile US introduced a network-side, real-time translation service covering over 80 languages, effectively breaking down cross-border communication barriers;Saudi stc rolled out English-Arabic bilingual simultaneous interpretation, which has now entered large-scale commercial trials;South Korea’s LG U+ launched its ixi-O intelligent calling assistant, shifting the user experience from passive responses to proactive smart interactions and earning three prestigious GLOMO industry awards.

The synchronized efforts of these global leaders confirm that basic calling services have officially entered a new era of AI integration. Deeply empowered by artificial intelligence, “Calling + AI” has become the definitive blueprint for the intelligent transformation of the global telecommunications industry. As operators continue to refine these native capabilities, the traditional voice network is poised to reclaim its position as the most secure, ubiquitous, and valuable entry point in the AI era.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/from-china-mobiles-call-upgrade-to-the-commercial-launch-of-calling–ai-by-leading-operators-ai-is-reshaping-the-value-of-native-calling-302834622.html

SOURCE China Mobile

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Trip.com Group Sincerely Accepts Administrative Penalty Decision Issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People’s Republic of China

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SINGAPORE, July 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Trip.com Group Limited (Nasdaq: TCOM; HKEX: 9961) today announced that it has received the administrative penalty decision issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People’s Republic of China.

Trip.com Group sincerely accepts the decision and will adopt rectification measures in accordance with applicable laws and regulations to implement the decision’s requirements. The Company will strengthen its long-term governance mechanisms and strive to contribute to the sustainable development of the travel industry.

Trip.com Group’s management team will host a conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on July 27, 2026 (or 8:00 PM Hong Kong Time on July 27, 2026).

The conference call will be available on Webcast live at: http://investors.trip.com.

All participants must pre-register to join this conference call using the participant registration link below:
https://register-conf.media-server.com/register/BIb78e08d8f18340c4882a7e4ab961906b.

Upon registration, each participant will receive details for this conference call, including dial-in numbers and a unique access PIN. To join the conference, please dial the number provided, enter your PIN, and you will join the conference instantly.

For further information, please contact:
Investor Relations
Trip.com Group Limited
Email: iremail@trip.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tripcom-group-sincerely-accepts-administrative-penalty-decision-issued-by-the-state-administration-for-market-regulation-of-the-peoples-republic-of-china-302834599.html

SOURCE Trip.com Group Limited

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NAVER Partners with Brookfield and NVIDIA to Expand Korea’s National AI Factory Infrastructure Buildout

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SAN FRANCISCO, July 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — NAVER, Brookfield and NVIDIA announced an expansion of Korea’s sovereign AI factory infrastructure. New investments will increase the initial NVIDIA DSX™ AI factory deployment from 55 megawatts to 200 megawatts.

Announced during Korea President Jae Myung Lee’s AI Summit visit to San Francisco, the planned 200-megawatt expansion will be built with the NVIDIA DSX platform at NAVER’s GAK Sejong hyperscale data center in Sejong, South Korea. The expanded infrastructure will provide Korea- and U.S.- based AI innovators with access to production-scale AI compute for building next-generation models, agents and AI-powered services.

Under the terms of the agreements, Brookfield will fund up to $9 billion as the exclusive capital partner, NVIDIA will invest $1 billion and NAVER will fund the remaining amount to finance the $10 billion project.

This builds on NAVER’s June announcement to extend its GAK Sejong data center with NVIDIA DSX, with a long-term path to gigawatt-scale sovereign AI infrastructure serving Korea’s enterprises, industries, government organizations and global AI cloud customers. Combining Brookfield’s capital with NVIDIA’s computing platform, the investment supports NAVER’s AI factory deployment.

“NVIDIA’s strategic investment and our infrastructure supply agreement with Brookfield have propelled NAVER’s vision for the AI Factory business into a robust execution phase,” said Haejin Lee, Founder and Chairman of NAVER. “Leveraging the solid partnerships with our global partners, we will drive technological innovation, foster a sovereign AI ecosystem, and spearhead efforts to strengthen South Korea’s AI competitiveness.” 

AI Factory Expansion and Open Model Collaboration to Fuel AI Innovators

NAVER, as an NVIDIA Cloud Partner, provides deep expertise in operating hyperscale infrastructure powered by the full-stack NVIDIA AI platform. The 200-megawatt AI factory, featuring NVIDIA Vera Rubin and Blackwell platforms, will establish a dedicated resource pool for emerging AI companies, providing the compute, software and support needed to develop and deploy competitive AI models and applications at scale.

This expanded infrastructure also builds on NAVER and NVIDIA’s collaboration on open model development for agentic and physical AI. NAVER is advancing its HyperCLOVA X models to be based on NVIDIA Nemotron™ 3 Ultra open models with its proprietary data and training expertise. NAVER is also the first Korean company to join the NVIDIA Nemotron Coalition, contributing to open model development across pretraining, post-training and reinforcement learning.

NAVER plans to launch an AI agent platform in Korea in the second half of the year, powered by NVIDIA Agent Toolkit software including NVIDIA NemoClaw™ blueprints. NAVER is also developing a Seoul World Model using proprietary urban street-view and spatial modeling data, built on NVIDIA Cosmos™ world foundation models.

About NAVER

Founded in 1999, NAVER is Korea’s largest Internet company and one of the world’s top tech companies. Leading cutting-edge technologies, NAVER operates the No.1 search engine in Korea and holds various business portfolios encompassing commerce, fintech, cloud, AI and robotics.

NAVER recorded sales of KRW 12.04 trillion (USD 8.18 billion) in 2025. TEAM NAVER continues to enhance its business portfolio and expand its global presence across Japan, North America, and Europe, while pursuing innovation through continuous research and development in future technologies.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/naver-partners-with-brookfield-and-nvidia-to-expand-koreas-national-ai-factory-infrastructure-buildout-302834577.html

SOURCE NAVER

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