China's Union Pay Bank Card was launched in France at a joint press conference on Monday by China Union Pay Co., Ltd and France's largest banking group, Credit Agricole.

After the press conference held in Printemp, a famous shopping mall in Paris, Liu Tinghuan, chairman of Board of China Union Pay, bought a bottle of Hermes perfume valued at 65 euros (78 U.S. dollars) with his Union Pay Bank Card in its first application in the European country.

The formal opening of China's Union Pay Bank Card service marks a new phase in the banking card cooperation between the two countries, and Chinese travelers in France would find their purchases there becoming more rapid, convenient and secure, Liu said.

The Union Pay Bank Card service will first be available in Printemp, Lafayette and a duty-free shop named Paris Look. Card holders will also be able to draw euros at the ATMs of the Credit Agricole banks and its partner banks.