Tokyo, June 4, 2009 - JCB, the only international payment brand based in Japan, and its international subsidiary JCB International (JCBI) today announced that China Minsheng Banking Corp., Ltd (CMBC) has launched the JCB branded "CMBC - CEA Credit Card" in cooperation with China Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited (China Eastern Airlines).

Since 1982, JCB and JCB International have been expanding JCB card acceptance in China to increase convenience for JCB cardmembers. Currently JCB has alliances with eleven partner banks and financial institutions for merchant acquiring, and approximately 80,000 merchants now accept JCB cards.

JCB card issuing to consumers in China has also been expanding to meet the growing needs of the market for international credit cards. As of June 1, 2009, seven banks (Bank of China, Bank of Shanghai, China Everbright Bank, China Merchants Bank, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank and China Minsheng Banking Corp., Ltd., and Ping An Bank Co. Limited) have already launched JCB brand credit card issuing programs, and the cardmember base is more than two million in the country.

During CMBC's development of the co-brand credit card with China Eastern Airlines, JCB provided the issuing bank with the expertise it has accumulated in the Japan credit card market, responding to CMBC and China Eastern Airlines' need to strengthen service to customers through a credit card. JCB and JCBI are expanding partnerships for JCB brand card issuing with Chinese financial institutions by strategically utilizing the knowledge, skills and network built over 40 years in the credit card business, and are committed to developing and providing high-quality service to meet the diverse needs and lifestyles of China's consumers.

The new CMBC - CEA Credit Card combines CMBC credit card services and the China Eastern Airlines mileage program, and also enables cardmember access to JCB global network and services, for an international card that earns China Eastern Airlines miles when used to purchase air tickets. The CMBC - CEA Credit Card has a lineup of standard, gold, and platinum card types. This is the first JCB branded platinum card to be issued in China.