Hello,
You need Chinese ID number to create Alipay account. Not posible without it.
There is another option for a merchant Alipay account, where you can apply being a foreign company. But you must pay for this service.
In all, Alipay is a very secure payment method. Most of the people use their Bank account to fund it, since Credit cards are not massive in China. So is almost like cash.
Also, the fees for Alipay are really low compared to paypal or others.
If you are thinking of something with Alipay, hit me up. I have long time experience with it.