PSA: You cannot take your powerbank if its not Chinese certified on domestic flights in China

Forums › Travel (planes, train, cruise) › PSA: You cannot take your powerbank if its not Chinese certified on domestic flights in China

wellygary

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#320068 2-Jul-2025 14:54

Well, The airport security in China have just been given a new job,

This will pretty much impact any NZer travelling within China as Powerbanks in NZ ( or most other parts of the ex-China world) won't likely carry the required domestic Certification, ( despite likely being made in China )

"Discarded batteries are piling up at Chinese airports following the introduction of a snap ban on most powerbanks being taken onto flights.

The new rule, which came into force on Saturday June 28 with only two days’ notice, applies to domestic flights within China – although there are reports of passengers boarding international flights from Shanghai also being caught in the crackdown.

China’s Civil Aviation Administration has declared that only powerbanks which carry a local ‘3C’ (China Compulsory Certification) logo will be permitted on flights.

3C certification is a mandatory safety and quality certification for both locally-manufactured and imported products."

https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/china-airline-powerbank-battery-ban

heavenlywild

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#3389104 2-Jul-2025 15:25

I just don't take them anywhere.

These days there are plenty of ways to charge your devices if you bring a charger or cable.

Dynamic

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#3389161 2-Jul-2025 20:18

heavenlywild:

I just don't take them anywhere.

These days there are plenty of ways to charge your devices if you bring a charger or cable.

The most security-conscious among us won't use public charging facilities. There can be nefarious electronics behind those ports.

When you land at a new international destination, getting hold of a local adapter can be a bit tricky especially if its late at night local time.

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lNomNoml

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#3389323 2-Jul-2025 23:22

Easy fix, don't fly to China.

nitro

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#3389327 2-Jul-2025 23:40

Dynamic:

When you land at a new international destination, getting hold of a local adapter can be a bit tricky especially if its late at night local time.

easy enough to tell what plugs are used at your destination before you travel, and bring the required adapter with you. it's what i do.

kiwi_64

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#3389359 3-Jul-2025 08:40

I was over there a week ago. I had two power banks with me at the time (a Sharge and an Anker) both were inspected and acceptable, so I'm not convinced it's significant concern

Batman

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#3389389 3-Jul-2025 10:21

But if everything is made in China, then I don't see what's the problem...

KiwiSurfer

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#3389404 3-Jul-2025 11:02

Batman:

But if everything is made in China, then I don't see what's the problem...

The issue is that the Chinese factory may put the appropirate labels on the domestic production, but not the international production. It's not just where it's produced that China is looking at, it's whether the product has the right certification labels.

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coffeebaron

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#3389449 3-Jul-2025 13:24

Maybe the 3C ones have a tracking bot installed, so all these foreigners are disposing of their other certified powerbanks and buying a 3C one that turns into to a global spy network as they return home!

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ezbee

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#3389468 3-Jul-2025 15:03

Initially I thought, well even the lowest level Temu power bank will have stencils for everything.
Or bigclivedotcom quintessential pound-store special.

But its a case of if the logo did not exist. :-)

""
This is hardly surprising: the CCC certification standard for power banks didn’t exist before August 2023, which in turn means that most power banks didn’t carry this certification until 2024.
""

Enforcement might be a bit variable depending on if you come from a friendly country and if staff have time to inspect in detail?

Might also have to do with airlines getting concerned about 'super size' power banks that are more of a problem if you have to wait for it to extinguish itself.

Airlines seem to be seeing more failures of power banks ?
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/26/travel/airline-power-bank-rules-explainer-intl-hnk/index.html

Konev

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#3390091 5-Jul-2025 19:31

Other half has just returned and told me my old one got binned due to '3c' i thought she meant USB C. Going there in sept, will leave the current power bank at home and buy a new one locally.

floydbloke

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#3390117 5-Jul-2025 21:46

KiwiSurfer:

Batman:

But if everything is made in China, then I don't see what's the problem...

The issue is that the Chinese factory may put the appropirate labels on the domestic production, but not the international production. It's not just where it's produced that China is looking at, it's whether the product has the right certification labels.

I bought a Belkin powerbank from PBTech in January this year. It has a CCC label. (Also took it on a couple of domestic flights in China with no issues[Before the recent regs].)

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KiwiSurfer

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#3391309 6-Jul-2025 19:26

floydbloke:

I bought a Belkin powerbank from PBTech in January this year. It has a CCC label. (Also took it on a couple of domestic flights in China with no issues[Before the recent regs].)

Another data point: I bought a Anker one from PB Tech in April this year. No CCC label (and this is despite it being made in China).

MurrayM

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#3391699 7-Jul-2025 14:12

nitro:

Dynamic:

When you land at a new international destination, getting hold of a local adapter can be a bit tricky especially if its late at night local time.

easy enough to tell what plugs are used at your destination before you travel, and bring the required adapter with you. it's what i do.

Years ago I bought a universal power point adaptor that has plugs/sockets for pretty much every country I'm likely to ever visit. It can convert from anything to anything.

ezbee

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#3391734 7-Jul-2025 17:43

China has had a rash of powerbanks experiencing rapid conflagration.
Which might have provoked the strong reaction.

Anker, Romoss recall over 1.2 million power banks amid fire risks
Anker has stopped selling the affected portable chargers, and is urging customers to return them for a refund or replacement

https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3315525/anker-romoss-recall-over-12-million-power-banks-amid-fire-risks?module=top_story&pgtype=section

""
Two major Chinese electronics manufacturers, Anker and Romoss, have launched massive recall programmes for over 1.2 million power banks, marking one of China’s largest gadget removal efforts in recent years, with both companies citing problematic battery cells that overheat and made them fire hazards.

Anker - based in Changsha, capital of central Hunan province -announced its recall on Friday, affecting over 712,000 units across seven power bank models. The company attributed the issue to an unidentified supplier, stating that “unauthorised changes to raw materials” compromised insulation and led to overheating with repeated use.
""

When you think of the number of other 'fly by night' brands who just shove out stuff out the door.