Updated travel advice for China
The Australian Consulate-General would like to draw your attention to a number of recent events (which are detailed in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s travel advice at http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/China ) to ensure your safe and smooth travel to/in China.
Visas
The Chinese authorities have put in place more stringent requirements for visas issued for travel to China. You should check with the nearest Chinese Embassy or Consulate for detailed information well in advance of your intended travel date. If you are already in China, please contact the Entry and Exit Authority in your city for latest requirements.
Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) – recent outbreaks
Since March 2008, there have been a number of outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) affecting the Provinces of Anhui, Guangdong and Henan. HFMD is highly contagious and spread through direct contact with the mucous, saliva or faeces of an infected person. The Chinese Ministry of Health has reported a large number of cases nationwide, including a number of deaths that were caused by the more severe Enterovirus 71 strain (EV71). HFMD can potentially affect all age-groups, but is most common in children. Travellers can protect themselves from the risk of HFMD by following basic hygiene precautions including frequent handwashing.
Demonstrations
There have been recent reports of demonstrations and protests in which westerners have been targeted in the cities of Hefei and Zhuzhou in central China. You should avoid demonstrations and protests as they may turn violent.
For the latest security and travel information advice on over 160 destinations, please refer to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s smart traveller website www.smartraveller.gov.au.
Australians resident in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Fujian and Hunan are strongly advised to register their presence with the Australian Consulate-General at https://www.orao.dfat.gov.au so that we can contact you in an emergency. (Note: If you have received this e-mail then you are registered.) Please forward this e-mail to other Australians you know in China, and encourage them to register.
Should Australians find themselves involved in a consular emergency and in need of assistance, please call 020 3814 0111. After office hours wait for the prompt to be connected to the Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra.