RMB Cards can now be used outside China

Here's something useful I picked up from The Star dated Dec 1:

Holders of Chinese currency UnionPay banking cards can pay
for their shopping, dining, travelling and medical bills and
extract cash in local currency as of Monday in South Korea,
Thailand and Singapore, the first time ever for the card to be
used outside China.

Chinese banking insiders say the move represents another
substantial step China has taken to gradually open up its
financial system and improve the convertibility of the
Renminbi (RMB) or the Chinese currency.

The People's Bank of China, the country's central bank,
said the move came after it allowed the cards to be used
in Hong Kong and Macau for payment of private
consumption over the past two years.

Under Chinese monetary rules, a holder of the UnionPay
card issued by the country's 29 commercial banks and
rural credit co-operatives can extract up to 5,000 yuan
(RM2,318) equivalent of local currency through ATMs
in the three countries, Hong Kong and Macau. - China Daily