Alipay and WeChat Pay, two major mobile payment service providers in China, launched campaigns in August, encouraging the public to embrace cashless payment. Alipay implemented large-scale marketing activities under the name Cashless Week in several cities from August 1 to 8, while WeChat Pay staged its Cashless Day on August 8. During the promotions, those who used either smart phone app to pay could get some money returned as a reward.

According to statistics from the People's Bank of China, in 2016, mobile payment amounted to 157.55 trillion yuan ($23.6 trillion). In early 2016, Alipay proposed to develop China into a "cashless society" within five years. As a result, more and more businesses have begun to accept cashless payment. However, some consumers complained that they encountered inconvenience when shopping or conducting other transactions because some entities refused to accept cash.

The cashless wave that is sweeping the country has undoubtedly triggered debate. Some argue that rejecting cash is an illegal practice on the part of businesses, as both the Law on the People's Bank of China and the Regulation on the Administration of the Renminbi stipulate that no organizations or individuals are allowed to reject the renminbi. More importantly, not all people know how to use mobile payment, and sometimes people don't have a cellphone with them. If all businesses begin to refuse cash, it can only make people's daily life inconvenient.

However, those who support mobile payment claim that a lot of services such as car-hailing and shared bicycles don't support cash payment. So, to make the refusal of cash payment illegal is unrealistic when more and more business sectors are adopting mobile payment in this era of Internet Plus. Besides, the renminbi is not confined to notes and coins; it is also increasingly used in the form of e-currency. To refuse cash is only to refuse a kind of payment method, not to refuse renminbi.

Refusing cash is illegal

Jin Zegang (Southern Metropolis Daily): Indeed, mobile payment makes life more efficient and convenient. It sounds right that "the currency used in mobile payment is renminbi," as the trade is finally settled in the yuan. However, the process is in nature electronic payment, which is different from paying with cash. When they reject cash, businesses are in fact rejecting the means of payment in cash, going against legal regulations which stipulate that all public and private liabilities are to be paid in renminbi and no organizations or individuals are allowed to reject it. Businesses are free to choose other means of payment, but they are not allowed to refuse cash at the same time.

It's understandable that canteens in some schools and companies refuse cash, because they have a certain targeted group to serve. To settle the purchase of meals in their own way helps to improve efficiency. Shopping online, which is totally different from doing so in brick-and-mortar stores, doesn't provide the possibility of settling in cash. Specific examples like these should not be referred to as excuses to reject cash by businesses.

Mobile payment has also brought some security concerns. Every transaction made in the form of a mobile payment produces data and information, whose leakage might bring unexpected losses.

If "refusing cash payment" is legalized, mobile payment will no longer be a voluntary choice, but a forced deal on consumers. Not only will they lose the right to choose the means of payment, but their economic interests will also be exposed to risks.

Liang Shi (The Beijing News): "Cashless society" is currently a hot topic that has triggered a lot of controversy. To push forward mobile payment is nothing wrong. The question now is that some businesses, such as supermarkets, refuse cash and only permit mobile payment. This practice has undoubtedly caused inconvenience to consumers and is also suspected of breaching laws.

For the time being, the refusal of cash payment is not widely seen yet. However, the encouragement from payment platforms and the convenience of doing so are pushing businesses forward. If not restricted, more and more stores and businesses will join the camp of refusing cash payment.

The popularization of mobile payment implies a huge transformation of Chinese people's consumption habits, a trend that goes along with the Internet-based economy. As long as the security guarantee is sufficient, and as long as they don't go against the law, mobile payment should be accepted.

Once the refusal of cash payment occurs, relevant authorities should intervene. Consumers are entitled to use cash in transactions. Businesses should not refuse cash, and payment platforms should not encourage them to do so.

Today, a lot of people still don't know how to, or feel it inconvenient to use mobile payment. Even when everyone is accustomed to using mobile payment, it sometimes happens that one forgets to carry a cellphone. Will people be rejected by stores if they have only cash with them?

A "cashless society" does not mean that cash will be cancelled. Particularly, we hope payment platforms, businesses and the public won't think "cashless society" means a society with no space for cash.

Following the trend

Zhu Changjun (guancha.gmw.cn): "Cashless society" is not a society where cash is totally refused. Accurately speaking, it means a society that has a diversified system of payment. Therefore, from another perspective, the extreme practice of refusing cash by certain businesses is actually helping to push forward this diversified payment model. Particularly, this is an inspiration for some public service departments, which are still reluctant to adopt mobile payment. For example, in most cities, subway stations don't support mobile payment for ticket purchases.

Nowadays, only a very small number of stores refuse cash payment. After all, to lose consumers just because of a preferred payment method is not worthwhile.

Actually, more attention should be paid to public service departments, which are very much used to receiving cash. They refuse mobile payment probably for fear of extra fee charges resulting from adopting the new payment platforms. They are not at all enthusiastic to embrace the "cashless society."

For most businesses, they accept various payment methods including mobile payment in order to catch up with the transformation of payment methods in modern society. This occurs very naturally, without external guidance or interference. Comparatively, many public service departments are not so open to new payment methods. For them, to adopt mobile payment means that they have to switch between cash payment and mobile payment while providing their services, which will cause some trouble for them. Unlike businesses under pressure to make a profit, public service departments lack the motivation to adapt to new social changes. In most cases, it's the public that is forced to yield to their low efficiency.

As it is, some cities have already realized these shortcomings and are trying to improve public services. For example, central China's Wuhan is working to forge a "cashless society." Mobile payment options have been deployed widely by social security authorities, hospitals, airports and public transportation, etc. In this sense, when some stores refuse to accept cash, it implies that the era of diverse payment channels has arrived. It's time for both businesses and public service departments to follow the trend and become part of it.

Chunhua Liqing (Jinan Daily): Since the concept of "cashless society" appeared, debate on it has grown. It's not a good practice for stores and some other businesses to refuse cash payment. But, after all, with the development of technology, we must realize the limitation of cash payment.

In the era of Internet Plus, ride-hailing services, shared bicycles and online shopping, etc. are all transacted through mobile payment. If the refusal of cash is defined as illegal, then a huge amount of e-commerce transactions, which can't use cash settlements, will falter. A benefit of adopting mobile payment is that businesses avoid fake notes and don't need to give change.

As for whether refusing cash is illegal, there is no authoritative answer yet. When the current renminbi regulations were issued in 2000, the concepts of "cashless society" and "mobile payment" did not yet exist. Obviously, laws and regulations should also keep up with the times. Given that mobile payment is more and more widely and frequently used, it's time for laws to grant them legal status.

Copyedited by Chris Surtees

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