In 2025, a branch of Industrial Bank’s Nanjing division in Jiangsu, China, welcomed a particularly anxious customer. Mr. Roger (alias), a French national, entered the bank lobby accompanied by an associate. Using a mix of hesitant Chinese and gestures, he tried to explain his situation to the bank staff. Noticing his distress, Tang Pu, a teller at Industrial Bank’s Yixing Dingshu Sub-branch, immediately put aside her work and approached him with a warm smile, greeting him in fluent English: “Hello, what can I do for you?” This simple, sincere welcome put Mr. Roger at ease, and he promptly handed over his passport. His companion explained, “Mr. Roger is from France. His bank card was captured by the ATM, and he urgently needs to retrieve it.”
Upon understanding Mr. Roger’s predicament, Tang Pu quickly proceeded to the back office of the self-service machines. Leveraging her familiarity with the equipment, she swiftly located the card that had been retained. However, according to Chinese regulations governing bank cards, retrieving a card issued by another bank requires proof from the issuing bank or an online password and balance verification. Since Mr. Roger’s card was issued by a foreign bank, neither verification method was readily available.
Without hesitation, Tang Pu contacted the accounting supervisor at the Yixing Dingshu Sub-branch. Drawing on years of professional experience, the supervisor implemented a comprehensive, multi-step verification process: he carefully checked that the photo in Mr. Roger’s passport matched his appearance, then verified that the name on the bank card corresponded exactly with the passport information. Next, Mr. Roger was asked to sign a declaration explaining the absence of proof from the issuing bank, and his signature was meticulously compared with the one on his passport. After these three rigorous checks confirmed all information was accurate, the teller promptly completed the card retrieval process for Mr. Roger.
At the conclusion of his visit, a broad smile appeared on Mr. Roger’s face. He expressed his appreciation in Chinese, saying “Xiexie! Xiexie!” several times before leaving the branch visibly relieved and in good spirits. This episode is just one vivid example of China’s ongoing efforts to enhance payment services for foreign visitors.
Media Contact
Company Name: China Internet Information Center
Contact Person: Gao Yu
Email: Send Email
Country: China
Website: http://www.china.com.cn/