China has one official time zone, China Standard Time (UTC+8), with no daylight saving time. The IANA database also lists Asia/Urumqi at UTC+6, reflecting the local time widely used in Xinjiang alongside the official time.
Current time in China's cities
Time zones in China
The IANA time zone database lists 2 zones for China. Each has its own entry because its clock history differs, even where the current time is the same. The offsets below are for mid-January and mid-July 2027.
| IANA zone | Area | January 2027 | July 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
Asia/Shanghai | Beijing Time | CST (UTC+8) | CST (UTC+8) |
Asia/Urumqi | Xinjiang Time | UTC+6 | UTC+6 |
Clock changes in China in 2026 and 2027
No part of China changes its clocks in 2026 or 2027.
Time difference between China and major cities
How far each city is ahead of or behind China (using Asia/Shanghai, the time in Shanghai), and how the gap changes when either side changes its clocks between now and the end of 2027.
| City | Now | Through 2026 and 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| London | 7 hours behind | 7 hours behind until 25 Oct 2026; 8 hours behind 25 Oct 2026 to 28 Mar 2027; 7 hours behind 28 Mar 2027 to 31 Oct 2027; 8 hours behind from 31 Oct 2027 |
| New York | 12 hours behind | 12 hours behind until 1 Nov 2026; 13 hours behind 1 Nov 2026 to 14 Mar 2027; 12 hours behind 14 Mar 2027 to 7 Nov 2027; 13 hours behind from 7 Nov 2027 |
| Los Angeles | 15 hours behind | 15 hours behind until 1 Nov 2026; 16 hours behind 1 Nov 2026 to 14 Mar 2027; 15 hours behind 14 Mar 2027 to 7 Nov 2027; 16 hours behind from 7 Nov 2027 |
| Dubai | 4 hours behind | 4 hours behind all year (no difference in clock changes) |
| Mumbai | 2½ hours behind | 2½ hours behind all year (no difference in clock changes) |
| Singapore | same time | same time all year |
| Tokyo | 1 hour ahead | 1 hour ahead all year (no difference in clock changes) |
| Sydney | 3 hours ahead | 3 hours ahead until 4 Apr 2027; 2 hours ahead 4 Apr 2027 to 3 Oct 2027; 3 hours ahead from 3 Oct 2027 |