The slow growth of credit card usage in China and other regions has as much to do with culture as with economic development. In many places, the idea of buying something for which you cannot pay is not socially acceptable. For the most part, the "borrowing culture" is prevalent only in areas of the world that are influenced strongly by Anglo-Saxon culture.
extract from http://www.atwonline.com/magazine/article.html?articleID=1427
