China's UnionPay announced Tuesday that it reached an agreement in Shanghai with United Arab Emirates' Network International, the largest card payment services provider in the MENA region, to expand merchant business, ATM acceptance business and card issuance service in the UAE and more than 20 countries in the Middle East and Africa.

UnionPay launched its card merchant acceptance business in the UAE in April last year, covering large shopping centers and specialty stores of international brands in major cities. The new agreement will enlarge the scale of UnionPay card business in the UAE, issue UnionPay cards and expand business to the Middle East and Africa.

UnionPay cards are now accepted in more than 90 counties and regions in the world, and UnionPay has issued CUP Standard Cards in 13 foreign countries and regions.

Visa International, the world's leading credit company, has requested that its global financial member institutions ban international transactions through UnionPay's system beginning August 1.

"No party has the right to limit cardholders' choice of overseas payment network," said a spokesperson for UnionPay.

China's business press carried the story above on Wednesday. China.org.cn has not checked the stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.