November 21, 2021
Jon Tabor; Tom Gibson
After his recent trip to China, Jon Tabor and Tom Gibson from Allied Mineral Products shared their experience with U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce. During the pandemic, Jon has secured three emergency visas for business travel to China.
BEFORE ENTERING CHINA:
- Make sure you have WeChat downloaded and understand how to scan QR codes.
- Learn how to save pictures as jpegs. For some items, this format is required to upload.
- Know how to save screen shots on your phone. Keep copies of everything.
- If you do not speak Chinese, find a travel companion who does.
- Make arrangments to have a Chinese phone number available to receive sms while traveling. Connect the phone number to your WeChat account.
VISA
- Work with professionals. Mai and Siva at U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce helped us check our application before submitting it to the visa system.
HEALTH CODE
- 48 hours before boarding the plane you will need to get a Health Code. https://hrhk.cs.mfa.gov.cn/h5/
- The code will be issued by the consulate that cares for the airport that you leave the country from.
- You must first get a COVID test at one of the labs approved by the Chinese Consulate near the aiport you exit the country from.
- EX: If your flight plan is Detroit to Seattle to Shanghai, you will need to get the COVID test in Seattle, and the health code will be issed by the San Francisco Consulate.
- For each location the rules will be a bit different, you will likely need to take pictures of yourself holding your passport while the test is being taken.
- Other Jpeg images you will need to fill out the Health Code Form include: (send them as medium-large attachments):
- Driver’s license, front and back
- Flight Itinerary
- Visa picture
- Passport picture
- Vaccine card
- Negative Covid Test from the lab
- Positive IMG Antibody test from the lab
- Check back on the website frequently for the QR code color to change black to green.
- Take a screenshot of the Green Code when it is ready and keep your web browser open to it so that you can easily refresh as needed.
QUARANTINE IN SHANGHAI
- On arrival, we were given the attached documents that walked us through the schedule and needs.
- There are COVID tests throughtout the stay.
- Upon leaving, you will be giving release papers. Keep them on you and keep them safe, they will be the most important paperwork in China other than your passport.
A list of items I recomend bringing:
- Salt and pepper
- Hot sauce
- A bar of soap
- Drink mix
- A coffee cup
- An extra towel
- Shampoo – they only have one tube in the room
- A knife, spoon, and fork. I am good with chopsticks. But at times a knife or fork would come in handy.
- Laundry detergent for washing the few things I will need during these 3 weeks
- Small pair of scissors
- More cleaning wipes
TRAVELING IN CHINA
After quarantine in Shanghai, Jon traveled to Tianjin and Guangzhou before returning to Shanghai to leave the country. Having a local phone number is increasingly important since this will be used to produce national and local health codes.
SUMMARY:
Two things you need for travel to China. First, WECHAT. Second, Patience. The best piece of advice is something a colleague once told me:
When in China, “everything is possible, nothing is easy”.
When things are not going your way, or the way they did things in the last airport you flew through is different than the one you are in now, have patience. If you are prepared and honest, and calm, everything will work out.
Jon R. Tabor
Tom E. Gibson
Allied Mineral Products, LLC
November 6, 2021