How to call China from the US

Kevin V. Nguyen

June 20, 2019

Wondering how to call China from the US? The process is simple. Follow the steps in this guide to learn how to make international calls to China.

Calling China from the US

There are a few things you need to consider before you call China from the US:

Are you calling a Chinese cell phone or landline?
The area code of the place you’re calling in China
The cost of the call

How to call China from the US

Follow these steps to call China:

Dial the exit code 011. This will let your carrier know you’re going to make an international call.
Dial 86, the country code for China. This lets your carrier know you’re going to call China from the US.
Enter the area code. The area codes in China consist of 2 to 4 digits. Look at the table below to see the area codes of major cities in China.
Dial the phone number. A Chinese landline will be between 6 to 8 digits. Chinese mobile numbers are usually 11 digits. Skip dialing the area code when you call a mobile number.

China Area Codes

Here's a list of area codes with the major cities in China.

Location	Area Code	Location	Area Code
Anshan	412	Qingdao	532
Beijing	10	Shanghai	21
Changchun	431	Shenyang	24
Chengdu	28	Suizhou	722


Chongqing	23	Tai'an	538
Dalian	411	Tianjin	22
Guangzhou	20	Weifang	536
Hangzhou	571	Wuhan	27


Harbin	451	Wuxi	510
Huaibei	561	Xi'an	29
Huai'an	517	Xiangfan	710
Jilin	432	Yangzhou	514


Jinan	531	Yantai	535
Nanjing	25	Zaozhuang	532
Ningbo	574	Zibo	533

Examples

Call a Chinese landline from the US

Here’s an example of how to call a Beijing landline from the US. The landline number in this example is 011-86-10-66-6666.

1. Dial 011, the exit code.

2. Dial 86, the country code for China.

3. Dial 10, the area code for Beijing.

4. Dial 66-6666, the phone number.

Call a Chinese cell phone from the US

Here’s an example of how to call a Beijing cell phone from the US. The mobile number in this example is 011-86-166-6666-6666.

1. Dial 011, the exit code.

2. Dial 86, the country code for China.

3. Dial 187-7861-2574, the mobile number.

How to Make Successful Business Calls to China

Show respect for the person you’re calling by being on time for the meeting.
If you have Chinese roots, you can give yourself a Chinese name when interacting with your Chinese client.
Be respectful of every person you talk to, regardless of title—never act cocky or arrogant in your conversation.
Let the person you’re speaking with end the conversation first. Small talk about safe topics like climate, travel and scenery is merely an ice breaker. Answer small talk questions succinctly, and then move on.
Avoid scheduling calls during Chinese New Year, which is usually at the beginning of the year in January or February, or on other holidays, like Golden Week in October.
Using the Chinese language can impress those you’re doing business with, but only use Chinese words when you are entirely sure of their meaning and context. Otherwise, hire a translator to make sure your call goes smoothly.

Are calls to China expensive?

Calls to China can turn out to be expensive, whether they’re for business or personal reasons. Rates can change depending on if you’re calling a landline or cell phone. If you have to make frequent calls from the US to China, using a VoIP system like 8x8 can help you save time and money.

Using 8x8 for business calls from the US to China

The right enterprise cloud based communications solution can help businesses reduce costs, drive significant productivity improvements and achieve strategic business goals.

With 8x8 phone service, you can reduce expenses required to maintain, support and upgrade traditional on-premise solutions. Businesses of any size, configuration or geographic location can benefit from the cost, performance and operational advantages of 8x8’s cloud-based communication solutions. Calling China from the United States is even simpler—and much less expensive—when you use 8x8.

One platform

One solution for voice, video, meetings, content sharing and messaging on one system of engagement enables your team to collaborate from anywhere, on any device

Quality at scale

Guaranteed availability and call quality around the globe

Security

The highest security standards in the industry with externally validated support for security regulations and standards including HIPAA, PCI-DSS, Privacy Shield and FISMA

8x8 can save you time and money

8x8 helps businesses of all sizes solve critical communication challenges. Some of the benefits of using 8x8 are:

Increase customer satisfaction and loyalty
Collaborate and communicate more effectively and securely
Free up IT resources with maintenance-free communications and rapid deployment
Unify communications throughout the entire organization
Integrate mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops into your communications strategy
View real-time and historical data about crucial business functions for faster, better decisions
Keep costs low and productivity high, with one easy-to-use economical system

Take a look at our international calling rates

Choosing the right technology is crucial to a growing business. Take the uncertainty out of the equation by choosing a SIP technology provider that can scale to meet your business' needs, whatever they may be at any given time. Call 1-866-498-2316 or fill out our online form to request a no-obligation quote from an 8x8 Product Specialist.