Under the second deal, China Construction Bank gains exclusive rights to market the official Manchester United-branded credit card in China.

CNN: Manchester United teams up with first two Chinese sponsors

China, where few ordinary citizens have a credit card (indeed, where credit-card-style revolving consumer lending is illegal), is MasterCard's second-largest market after America.

ECONOMIST: Who��d have credited it?

Asked where they thought it was made, the couple guessed China and admitted to purchasing their new printer with a credit card.

NPR: U.S.-China Cash Flow Depends On Fannie, Freddie

In the past year and a half, China, Malaysia and Indonesia have reined in mortgage, credit-card or motorcycle lending.

WSJ: Loans Surge to Asia's Growing Middle Class

In the whole of China, only 40, 000 merchants are equipped to swipe a credit card.

ECONOMIST: Consumer finance in Asia

China's sixth-largest bank by assets and its largest credit-card issuer.

WSJ: A Chinese CEO Opens Up

Despite the bullish market forecasts, global credit-card companies are feeling increasingly frustrated with their limited access to the Chinese market, where China UnionPay Ltd.

WSJ: Mastercard Sees Surge In China Credit-Card Use