By Gabriel Chen

UNITED Overseas Bank (UOB) has partnered China's national card network operator to offer what it claims is the first Singapore bank-issued credit card in China.

With this tie-up with China Unionpay (CUP), UOB hopes to gain a foothold in what is a growing market - that of Singaporeans visiting China for business trips regularly.

According to data from the China National Tourism Association, the number of Singaporeans who visited China last year grew by 10 per cent, or 95,225, compared with 2006.

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