| Abstract | These days when Chinese speak of the "great leap forward" they are talking about something more sophisticated than backyard blast furnaces. China is moving into cashless world faster than most people think. Some experts are betting that in many parts of the country digging deep into one's pocket for a thick wad or crumpled, grimy bank notes will soon be a thing of the past. Indeed, the island province of Hainan off the southern coast even wants to leapfrog such decade-old technologies as credit and debit cards and automated teller machines and move directly to microchip-laden smart cards. |
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