????在在線支付領域，馬云并沒有受到銀聯的管控，因為這塊蛋糕太大了。研究公司iResearch的數據顯示，去年中國在線支付的總額達到9,000億美元，其中幾乎一半都是通過支付寶完成的。

????馬云著名之處，在于他總能快政府一到兩步，卻不會越線。其中一個例子是他在2004年創立了支付寶在線支付系統，并與200家銀行簽約，一舉打破了銀聯的壟斷。與蘋果支付的合作似乎會是另一個成功案例。這次合作起初意義不大，但隨著中國政府宣布將放開支付領域的限制，因而減少了銀聯對市場和支付寶的影響力，情況就大不同了。這一規定究竟將如何實施仍有待觀察，但一夜之間，銀聯對支付寶的影響大大減少了。

????馬云似乎在官方發布消息之前就已經知道政策即將變化，因此才提出了和蘋果支付合作的建議。阿里巴巴（Alibaba）的發言人拒絕對此發表評論。

????即便中國政府有意讓外國銀行卡公司甚至支付寶都進入市場，但它們要成長到足以同銀聯競爭仍需要好幾年時間。后者已經與成千上萬家超市、餐廳和商鋪簽訂了合作協議。

????位于北京的弗雷斯特研究公司（Forrester）副總裁王平表示，支付寶要達成這一合作仍存在障礙。他表示：“高大上的iPhone 6用戶想要在百貨商場買點東西，結果店員說：‘對不起，我們不支持支付寶’——這可能不是蘋果想要帶給顧客的體驗。”

????就進入中國的問題，蘋果首先選擇與銀聯展開對話。但磋商的進展十分緩慢。到目前為止，蘋果支付功能仍然未能在中國的iPhone上啟用。據財新報道，雙方仍在洽談。

????馬云和蘋果公司的潛在合作可能與中國關系不大。Counterpoint Research公司的尼爾?沙哈負責研究中國的移動市場，他表示：“阿里巴巴想做的，可能是進入美國巨大的線下零售市場。作為回報，阿里巴巴的在線產品將植入蘋果支付功能，借此將其從蘋果應用商店帶入中國的在線零售商店。”

????蘋果并不是非得和支付寶合作不可，而支付寶也不是“非君不嫁”。但至少，雙方可能的合作方式現在變得更明晰了。（財富中文網）

????譯者：嚴匡正

????Jack Ma stopped short of submitting to UnionPay’s rules when it came to online payments, however, because the stakes were too big. Alipay handled almost half the $900 billion online payments in China last year, according to iResearch.

????Jack Ma is known for staying a step or two ahead of the government without creating feuds. The way he sidestepped UnionPay’s monopoly in the mid-2000s by setting up Alipay’s online system with 200 banks is one example. Teaming up with Apple Pay looks like another. A partnership made little sense until China’s government announced it was opening up payments for everyone, which reduces UnionPay’s influence on the market and on Alipay. It remains to be seen how the rules will be implemented, but overnight UnionPay’s has less sway over Alipay.

????Ma’s suggestion of an Apple Pay partnership, knowing a policy change would help it advance, looks prescient. An Alibaba spokeswoman declined comment.

????Even though China’s government is intent on allowing foreigner card companies, and by extension Alipay, into the market, it will be years before any build scale to compete with UnionPay, which has tens of thousands of agreements with stores, restaurants, and shops.

????Forrester vice president Bryan Wang in Beijing sees a potential Alipay agreement as a hedge. “The high-end iPhone 6 user wants to buy something at a department store, and they say, ‘Sorry we don’t accept Alipay—that’s probably not the experience Apple want to bring customers,” he says.

????The first conversations Apple had about coming to China happened with UnionPay. But the negotiations have been slow to form. For now, Apple Pay is deactivated on iPhones sold in China. Caixin has reported that negotiations are still advancing.

????It may be that the potential tie up between Jack Ma and Apple has little to do with China. “What Alibaba may be trying to do is…gain entry into the huge U.S. offline retail market and in return integrate Apple Pay into Alibaba’s online footprint from app stores to online retail stores in China,” says Neil Shah, who tracks the China mobile market for Counterpoint Research.

????Apple doesn’t need Alipay and Alipay doesn’t need Apple. But at least now it’s clearer how they would work together.