Originally Posted by
BigE
This website says a 24-hour transit is fine, even with a domestic flight within china, so long as the total time in China is less than 24 hours. https://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/transit.htm
Having said that, I'm not sure I'm brave enough to try it, unless I heard from others who have done it. Even if the rules are clear, it doesn't mean that airlines will let you on the plane to China.
I meant that you might get by with only a transit visa if you had connecting flights from another asian country to China to start the CAN-LAX (with less than a combined 24-hour layover in China), as well as connecting flights out of China following LAX-CAN (with less than a combined 24-hour layover in China). The OP implied that the domestic segment meant there was no possible way to use this ticket without an expensive Chinese visa. I'm no expert, but it seemed to me that it is possible.
It sounds like g2939's problem was that he flew U.S.-China-U.S.? That shouldn't work, if I understand correctly.
Having to collect bags and change terminals from domestic to international would be a nuisance. But that's not a visa problem, is it? Doesn't a transit visa allows you to go through immigration, to change terminals? I recall doing this before.