Oh and I only have to give my identity to Alipay and Chinese transit? And modify my phone so it consistently beacons out a trackable ID?
> The distance from which an attacker is able to eavesdrop the RF signal depends on multiple parameters, but is typically less than 10 meters.
That said, Apple devices use an active amplifier even in card emulation mode (which is why Apple Pay works considerably more reliably at awkward angles than Google Pay does on most Android phones).
Android has supported HCE-based card emulation and provided access to any app developer out there for a decade now. No special entitlement, certification, or licensing fee required.
but Apple doesn't do it for "privacy and security" reasons (read: they want iron grip on their closed ecosystem).