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China airport checkpoint procedures: things to watch out for

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Old Sep 2, 2015, 10:50 pm
  #16  
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Angry

Originally Posted by tauphi
https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org..._batteries.pdf

Presumably if a fire started in the carry-on luggage someone would see it and do something about it before it goes out of control.
Exactly (not so baffling IMO).
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Old Sep 3, 2015, 3:32 pm
  #17  
 
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Originally Posted by tauphi
https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org..._batteries.pdf

Presumably if a fire started in the carry-on luggage someone would see it and do something about it before it goes out of control.
That makes sense. I confess not having read the faa document.
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Old Sep 3, 2015, 8:09 pm
  #18  
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Are folks getting stopped on this? I never got stopped carrying two battery packs in Dec last year in PVG. Can't imagine this happening nationwide.
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Old Sep 3, 2015, 8:44 pm
  #19  
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Yes. They are good at finding batteries. But, there is no need for hysteria. Just go with the flow.
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Old Sep 4, 2015, 4:00 am
  #20  
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Originally Posted by moondog
Yes. They are good at finding batteries. But, there is no need for hysteria. Just go with the flow.
Hysteria? No hysteria here. Just a head's up so people don't get $15-40 batteries confiscated for no good reason (that they may need on the trip in addition to the replacement cost).
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Old Sep 4, 2015, 4:18 am
  #21  
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Originally Posted by transparent
Hysteria? No hysteria here. Just a head's up so people don't get $15-40 batteries confiscated for no good reason (that they may need on the trip in addition to the replacement cost).
I take 2 flights every week (sometimes replaced by trains).

I have had zero batteries/chargers confiscated.

While it's good to provide a heads up about the rules, the rules aren't especially difficult to abide by.

In the event you need to buy a new battery, it will be a good purchase.
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Old Sep 4, 2015, 6:00 am
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Not unique to China; questions about battery packs randomly occur in Europe or Japan, too.
And, unlike to other harmless things not allowed at the security theatre, several aircraft crashes have been caused by Li batteries, which are IATA listed as HAZMAT.
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Old Sep 5, 2015, 2:12 am
  #23  
 
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Two flights this week- Ningbo to Beijing at check in the girl asked if I had any in my check in luggage- I took them out as I had been given a couple from my supplier as a gift.

Beijing to Hong Kong they asked at check in again.
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Old Sep 5, 2015, 7:01 am
  #24  
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Originally Posted by moondog
I take 2 flights every week (sometimes replaced by trains).

I have had zero batteries/chargers confiscated.

While it's good to provide a heads up about the rules, the rules aren't especially difficult to abide by.

In the event you need to buy a new battery, it will be a good purchase.
It's difficult to abide by the rules when they are being enforced in a way not specified in the warnings to passengers. The rules say batteries <30,000mAh are allowed (for this type of USB charging battery). They do not specify that if the markings are worn the battery will be confiscated even if it is clearly less than 30,000mAh.

And as I had taken this battery through security in China many times in the last year, it took me by surprise when they suddenly zeroed in on a small-ish battery pack, which is why I thought it would be good to warn others so they can take precautions.

But-- it seems you are looking to win some sort of argument, so I concede. You win.

I respect your deep knowledge of China's myriad rules and procedures as I follow the China Visa thread as well, but it's confusing why you are turning this into some sort of argument-- even though I knew about limits on batteries, it doesn't say anywhere about markings, which is what I wrote about in my original post.

Originally Posted by Chinatrvl
Not unique to China; questions about battery packs randomly occur in Europe or Japan, too.
And, unlike to other harmless things not allowed at the security theatre, several aircraft crashes have been caused by Li batteries, which are IATA listed as HAZMAT.
Agreed-- but other countries are reasonable about determining the risk of a battery based on it's size. If it's small and for USB charging, it's 99% probably it's within their specified limits.
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Old Sep 5, 2015, 9:11 am
  #25  
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I am bowing out of this thread. My external battery will join me on this week's Beijing trip.
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Old Sep 10, 2015, 6:56 am
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Have never had problems with spare batteries for my mobile, or my portable charger (which states the mAh), or my laptop with the battery taken out.
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Old Sep 11, 2015, 10:18 am
  #27  
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Fever when entering China

Since this post doesn't warrant its own thread, I'm placing it here.

A friend of mine partied too hard in Tokyo last weekend, and ended up contracting a fever on his flight back to Shanghai Sunday night.

Those thermometers (that we all assume are for show only) sent off alarm bells, and he won himself a free trip to the "back room".

Once there, the nurse confirmed that he had a very high fever (40), and asked him if she could take a [blood] test.

He replied, "is this a requirement?"

She said, "no".

As such, he declined the offer, and was sent on his way (still sick as a dog, but at least permitted to sleep in his own bed).

While it could be argued that his refusal to have a blood sample taken at the airport was a selfish move, I just want you guys to know that this option exists.
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Old Sep 12, 2015, 5:41 pm
  #28  
 
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Funny you guys mention this, last weekend I flew in YYZ-PEK and the customs guy at the baggage claim exit zeroed in on my 10'800 mAh battery I had in my check in.

He actually asked me to take it out and put it in my carry on for the domestic leg, claimed it's not allowed in check in.

At domestic security, of course they pore all over it to check the capacity etc. It ended without incident but this was the first time in as many years that I saw such scrutiny.

Interestingly enough the combined capacity of my iPhone 6 + iPad Air 2 + Galaxy Tab 4 + BB Passport + MacBook Air is much higher than my humble power bank but they get no scrutiny at all.
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Old Sep 14, 2015, 5:06 am
  #29  
 
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Went through security at BJS T3 this morning and I was stopped and told to open my carry on bag and take out all my cables, which were put through the scanner again separately. It was a circus this morning, with the queue for security jammed right back to the passport control desks . If things continue like this, the whole system is going to implode. Just to make matters worse, the staff this morning were almost entirely young girls, who were unpleasant and hostile in both Chinese and English. Very stressful.
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Old Sep 14, 2015, 9:31 pm
  #30  
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Originally Posted by payam81
Funny you guys mention this, last weekend I flew in YYZ-PEK and the customs guy at the baggage claim exit zeroed in on my 10'800 mAh battery I had in my check in.
You're not supposed to check Li-Ion in the US, either.
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