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Alipay has launched an online payment service with the Bank of China, a spokesperson for the China-based payment firm tells CardLine Global. The service enables debit and credit cardholders who register with the financial institution's Internet-banking service to pay utility bills through the Alipay system. Chinese utility companies do not accept payments by check, meaning customers typically pay bills in cash in person at bank branches or other payment locations. Alipay says 52 banks use its payment technology, giving 150 million Chinese consumers access to similar services. China had some 298 million Internet users as of 31 Dec., up 41.9% from 210 million a year earlier, according to the China Internet Network Information Center, a government-backed agency. According to China-based research firm iResearch, Internet-banking users in China totaled 64.7 million at the end of 2008, up nearly 34% from a year earlier.
