[isostatic]

> WeChat doesn't have end-to-end encryption, while other apps have them

So by that reckoning any program supporting smtp is a "kind of malware"? Or http?

> Is WeChat actually required in China

Not for a typical westerner visiting Beijing, Shanghai etc. Most places will take cash or international credit cards. For immigrants, sure.

Xinjiang may well be different, but it's not on the typical western tourist/business track.