Wikimedia, CCUber is making a play for its Asia-Pacific users that could drive the company miles ahead of its largest rivals in the region. The ride-hailing company on Monday announced an expansion of its partnership with mobile payments company Alipay, which will allow Chinese customers to pay for Uber rides outside of China using their existing Alipay accounts. Before the expansion, Uber users from China who were traveling abroad had to link a dual-currency credit card to the Uber app and be charged for their rides in US dollars. “Chinese travelers know and love how easy it is to request and pay for Uber rides at home; now we’re excited to bring this experience to them wherever they are in the world, right from the Alipay app," said Eric Alexander, Uber's Asia-Pacific head of business. Alipay has 450 million active users in China. The move effectively creates a seamless app experience for Chinese customers who would otherwise have to deal in the local currency where they're traveling, and be charged in US dollars when using the Uber app. Eric Jing, president of Ant Financial — the company that operates Alipay — explained why its expanded partnership with Uber is so important.