Trial of new Alipay electronic ID card starts in three cities

Starting from Wednesday, residents in Hangzhou, Quzhou, and Fuzhou can access a variety of services using a digital ID card linked to Alipay, reports Xinhua News Agency.

A resident shows her electronic ID card in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. [Photo: Xinhua]

Developed by China's Ministry of Public Security in partnership with Internet giant Alibaba, the new "Electronic ID card" pilot will allow residents to use their Alipay account as ID when checking into hotels, buying train tickets, and when accessing a variety of other services. Around four million residents are likely to benefit from the trial during its first year.

Users can get a digital ID card by verifying their identity using Alipay, including by using the platform's facial recognition system. Alipay can then be used to generate a unique QR code that can be scanned in place of a physical ID card.

"The digital ID card is protected by four layers of security, including passwords for the phone and the Alipay payment platform, as well as fingerprints and facial recognition to open the QR code," staff with Alipay told Chinanews.com. 

If a person loses their phone, they can remotely delete their ID card as an extra layer of protection.

The "Electronic ID card" pilot is the latest of China's efforts to transition to online services using Alipay as a platform. 

According to Xinhua, these efforts include the introduction of electronic driving licenses in Shenzhen, social security cards in Wuhan, and residence permits in Zhejiang. And China's State Administration for Market Regulation introduced Alipay-based business licenses this month. 

Nanning, Wuhan, and Guangzhou have previously rolled out electronic ID card programs in cooperation with Alibaba and Tencent, the creator of WeChat.