CHINA UnionPay Co, a bank card services provider, announced yesterday it has expanded its card acceptance service to five more Asian markets - Brunei, the Maldives, the Philippines, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

The new service, provided by Global Payments Asia-Pacific Limited, allows Chinese mainland tourists to pay for goods and services with their UnionPay cards at merchants served by Global Payments, according to a statement by UnionPay.

Cai Jianbo, executive vice president of UnionPay, said its new collaboration with Global Payments in five Asian markets is a great step forward for both companies in their global partnership.

"We are delighted to expand the acceptance of UnionPay cards to more Asian markets through Global Payments' extensive distribution network across Asia Pacific," Cai said. "This further expands our strategic relationship with Global Payments and the new service will offer added payment convenience for the growing number of Chinese mainland travelers."