Originally Posted by JDiver

Why the worry about giving incorrect information to Chinese immigration? There’s no necessity for that - it’s improperly trained AA staff that are the problem, and a backup ticket, which I ordinarily would not recommend, would be to remediate possible AA staff intransigence. As others have pointed out, SAN is the most likely problem point. The backup ticket can be cancelled easily prior to arriving in China, and there’s no need to disclose other than the actual travel itinerary to Chinese authorities.