Time in China
The current local time and date in China, its time zone, and a converter to your own time.
Detecting your time zone to suggest the best hour to call…
All of mainland China, from Beijing to Xinjiang, runs on a single official zone, China Standard Time (UTC+8) — the widest one-timezone span of any country.
China stays on UTC+8 all year and does not change its clocks for daylight saving time. All of mainland China uses a single time zone, China Standard Time.
Compare to your time zone
Detecting your time zone…
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Compare China with another city
China & London · China & New York · China & Tokyo · China & Los Angeles · China & Dubai · All world clocks →
See also: Population of China
Other cities in Asia & the Middle East
Time in Tokyo · Time in South Korea · Time in Hong Kong · Time in Singapore · Time in Manila · Time in Bangkok · Time in India · Time in Dubai · Time in Abu Dhabi · Time in Doha · Time in Riyadh · Time in Jerusalem · Time in Hyderabad
Popular time comparisons
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FAQ
What time is it in China right now?
China is on UTC+8 all year round, which is 8 hours ahead of UTC. So when it is 12:00 UTC, the local time in China is 20:00. The live clock at the top of this page applies that offset to the current moment and refreshes every second.
What time zone is China in?
China uses the Asia/Shanghai time zone, shown as GMT+8. China stays on UTC+8 all year and does not change its clocks for daylight saving time. All of mainland China uses a single time zone, China Standard Time. The "compare to your time zone" section above converts any China time into your own local time instantly.
Does China observe daylight saving time?
No — China does not observe daylight saving time. Its clocks stay on UTC+8 every day of the year, so its offset from UTC never moves. All of mainland China uses a single time zone, China Standard Time. The difference between China and another city therefore changes only when that other city starts or ends its own daylight saving period. If you are scheduling across the seasons, treat China as the fixed end of the pair and check the other city's dates instead.
How do I convert China time to my time zone?
Convert China time by taking its UTC+8 offset and applying the difference to your own: subtract China's offset from UTC to get the UTC time, then add your own offset. For example, 09:00 in China is 01:00 UTC. The converter above does this automatically after detecting your device's time zone, and the World Clock meeting planner lays several cities out on one colour-coded 24-hour grid.
What is the dialing code for China?
The dialing code for China is +86. To call from abroad, dial +86 before the local number. The card at the top of this page shows it alongside the live local time so you can check it is a reasonable hour before you call.
What are the best hours to call China?
Standard business hours in China — 9:00 to 17:00 local time — correspond to 01:00 to 09:00 UTC. Convert that UTC window into your own zone to find the overlap. The "best time to call" line above does this for you, using waking hours of roughly 8am–9pm on both ends so neither side is called at night.
Learn how time zones work
UTC & GMT explained · Daylight saving explained · How to convert a time between two cities