Asia and Oceania

• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• Natural disasters
• General
 

Travel Summary

• There are confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus (Swine Flu) in Mainland China, including British Nationals. The Chinese government continues to place great emphasis on screening and surveillance, rapid detection, quarantine and treatment. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised its Pandemic Threat Alert Phase to Level 6 . There is a dedicated Swine Flu page on the FCO website. Guidance on Pandemic Flu can be found on the UK Department of Health . See the Health section of this advice for more detailed information on quarantine and other measures that have been put in place by the Chinese authorities.
  
  
• Over the past year, there have been a number of violent incidents in different parts of the northwest Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, resulting in a number of deaths, including civilians.  No reports of death or injury involving foreign nationals.  In April 2009 a bomb blast in Urumqi City (the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region) killed one and injured several others and, in July, state media reported almost 200 deaths and 1600 injuries as a result of serious rioting there.  Also in Urumqi, in early September media reported a number of arrests following a resurgence of violence and protests resulting in five deaths.
  
  
• Outbreaks of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) in China have led to a small number of human fatalities. The most recent fatalities were in January 2009. See the Health (Avian Influenza) section of this advice and the Avian and Pandemic Influenza for more details.
  
  
• Heightened security measures surround the 2009 National Day celebrations (1 October) and, in late September, local media reports indicated that Chinese authorities had suspended travel to Tibet.  The ban is likely to be short-lived, and cover the period from 25 September until 10 October 2009.  See the Tibet section of this advice for more details.
  
  
• Similarly, local travel in and around Beijing will be severely disrupted during 30 September and 1 October 2009.  Less severe disruption may continue for a few days immediately thereafter, with popular tourist attractions and sites remaining closed.  See the Local Travel section of this advice for more details.
  
  
• The tropical cyclone season in China normally runs from May to November, affecting the south eastern coastal regions of China. On 10 August 2009 the state media agency Xinhua reported that Typhoon Morakot was down-graded to a tropical storm after causing heavy flooding in Fujian and Zhejiang Provinces (eastern China). Reports indicate that more than 473,000 residents of Zhejiang province were evacuated ahead of the typhoon, in addition to 480,000 in Fujian Province. Wenzhou City in Zhejiang Province has been severely affected with reports of property damaged, roads flooded and the city’s airport closed. We have had no reports to date of British nationals injured in any of the affected Provinces.  See the Natural Disasters section of this advice and Tropical Cyclones for more details. 
  
  
• There is an underlying threat from terrorism in China. This reflects both the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks and the possibility of terrorist acts by groups opposed to the Chinese Government.  They could be indiscriminate including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
  
  
• In 2008, 551, 523 British nationals visited China (Source:  National Tourism Administration of the People’s Republic of China).  Most visits to China are trouble free. 301 British nationals required consular assistance in China in the period 01 April 2008 – 31 March 2009 for the following types of incident; deaths (47 cases); hospitalisations (41 cases); and arrests, for a variety of offences (129 cases). During this period assistance was also requested with regard to lost or stolen passports (826 cases).
  
  
• You are required to carry your passport at all times as the Police regularly carry out random checks, but you should take precautions against pick pocketing and other street crime.
  
  
• We recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.  You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake.  See the General (Insurance) section of this advice and Travel Insurance for more details.