Originally Posted by
Loren Pechtel
That was 10 years ago. The ban on liquids came considerably later.
And it certainly doesn't explain what happened this time. This is by far not my first time through PVG since 06.
I don't have the energy to research the exact timeline of the liquids ban saga today, but I am certain of the order of events:
1. somebody attempted to bomb a US bound airplane using liquids
2. the US responded with 3-1-1
-for a short spell, this applied to US bound flights (in addition to internal flights)
3. apart from dutifully respecting the "US bound flights" policy, China implemented its own version of 3-1-1 for domestic flights
4. the "US bound flights" policy is no longer a big deal for the US, but enforcement still happens in China (sometimes)