Possibly damaged passport and China
 

I just got home from a trip to Europe where they informed me the chip in my passport MIGHT be damaged.

I have a trip to China next month and have heard passport control is pretty strict. Is this going to cause me problems? Is there a way to check if the chip is functioning?

Am I overreacting?

I think your trip already happened, but for those others looking at this thread - yeah, if your chip is damaged, then you need to get a replacement passport. The last thing you want to do is start an argument with a boarder entry guard. :)

My wives passport has a damaged chip and had several residence permits. All they do is manually entering some information.

I have the same issue here (with my French passport). The Chinese consulate in Paris agreed to issue the visa but warned me about the risk of being denied the entry to Guangzhou because my passport MIGHT be damaged. They even had me sign a sort of liability waiver. Unfortunately I don't have time to get a new passport before I go to China.
How can I be sure that they will manually enter my passport information if the chip isn't functioning ? I also read that I could be denied boarding in Paris, apparently companies have that right (Air France in my case)...
Thanks for your help !

You can't be sure and if the passport appears to be damaged externally, there is a risk that you won't even be permitted to board your flight.

Carriers, including AF, require you to present yourself with all documents required for admission at the departure point.

Just because someone else managed to convinced a gate agent or border force type to allow them to board / enter, does not mean that you will be able to do so.

But do check-in clerks normally check the chip? Always looks to me like they just scan the machine-readable lines at the bottom of the data page.

Of course if your passport is obviously damaged all bets are off.