US ⇄ China time difference
Live Beijing time and US Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific clocks; convert any time both ways. Eastern is 12 hours behind Beijing during daylight saving time and 13 hours in winter — DST ends Sun Nov 1, 2026. Plus the best times to call family in China.
Right now
- Beijing / China (CST, UTC+8)--:--
- Eastern (ET)--:--12 h behind Beijing
- Central (CT)--:--13 h behind Beijing
- Mountain (MT)--:--14 h behind Beijing
- Pacific (PT)--:--15 h behind Beijing
- Arizona (MST, no DST)--:--15 h behind Beijing
- Alaska (AKT)--:--16 h behind Beijing
- Hawaii (HST, no DST)--:--18 h behind Beijing
Convert a time
- Beijing time
- 8:00 am · Sun, Nov 1 (next day)
- Difference
- ET is 12 h behind Beijing
- Eastern (ET)
- 8:00 pm · Sat, Oct 31
Best times to call family in China
Hours when both sides are awake, for today’s date in each zone. Change the waking hours to fit your family.
| US zone | Your time | Beijing time |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern (ET) | 7:00 am–10:00 am 7:00 pm–10:00 pm | 7:00 pm–10:00 pm 7:00 am–10:00 am (next day) |
| Central (CT) | 7:00 am–9:00 am 6:00 pm–10:00 pm | 8:00 pm–10:00 pm 7:00 am–11:00 am (next day) |
| Mountain (MT) | 7:00 am–8:00 am 5:00 pm–10:00 pm | 9:00 pm–10:00 pm 7:00 am–12:00 pm (next day) |
| Pacific (PT) | 4:00 pm–10:00 pm | 7:00 am–1:00 pm (next day) |
| Arizona (MST, no DST) | 4:00 pm–10:00 pm | 7:00 am–1:00 pm (next day) |
| Alaska (AKT) | 3:00 pm–10:00 pm | 7:00 am–2:00 pm (next day) |
| Hawaii (HST, no DST) | 1:00 pm–10:00 pm | 7:00 am–4:00 pm (next day) |
US time zones vs Beijing time (2026)
| US zone | Daylight time (Mar–Nov) | Standard time (Nov–Mar) | Noon in the US is… in Beijing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern (ET) New York, Boston, DC, Atlanta, Miami | 12 h behind | 13 h behind | 12:00 am next day / 1:00 am next day |
| Central (CT) Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Austin | 13 h behind | 14 h behind | 1:00 am next day / 2:00 am next day |
| Mountain (MT) Denver, Salt Lake City | 14 h behind | 15 h behind | 2:00 am next day / 3:00 am next day |
| Pacific (PT) Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle | 15 h behind | 16 h behind | 3:00 am next day / 4:00 am next day |
| Arizona (MST, no DST) Phoenix, Tucson | 15 h behind | 15 h behind | 3:00 am next day |
| Alaska (AKT) Anchorage, Fairbanks | 16 h behind | 17 h behind | 4:00 am next day / 5:00 am next day |
| Hawaii (HST, no DST) Honolulu | 18 h behind | 18 h behind | 6:00 am next day |
Computed from the IANA time-zone data (America/New_York, America/Chicago, America/Denver, America/Los_Angeles, America/Phoenix, America/Anchorage, Pacific/Honolulu vs Asia/Shanghai). China is UTC+8 all year.
US daylight saving time dates
| Year | Spring forward (DST starts) | Fall back (DST ends) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sun, Mar 8, 2026 | Sun, Nov 1, 2026 |
| 2027 | Sun, Mar 14, 2027 | Sun, Nov 7, 2027 |
| 2028 | Sun, Mar 12, 2028 | Sun, Nov 5, 2028 |
Both at 2:00 a.m. local time. Rule (since 2007): second Sunday of March to first Sunday of November.
Why the US–China time difference changes twice a year
China uses one time zone, UTC+8, all year. Most of the US moves its clocks forward one hour in March and back one hour in November, so the gap to Beijing is one hour smaller in summer than in winter. Your phone adjusts automatically, but recurring calls, school pickups for kids in China, and flight connections planned before the change will shift by an hour on the US side.
FAQ
How many hours is the US behind China?
Beijing time (China Standard Time, UTC+8) is 12 hours ahead of US Eastern time during daylight saving time (mid-March to early November) and 13 hours ahead in winter. Central is 13/14 hours behind Beijing, Mountain 14/15, Pacific 15/16. China does not change its clocks, so the gap changes only when the US does.
Does China have daylight saving time?
No. China tried daylight saving time from 1986 to 1991 and has used UTC+8 all year since then. The whole country runs on Beijing time, including Xinjiang and Tibet officially (Xinjiang also uses an informal local time 2 hours behind). Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are also UTC+8 with no DST.
When does daylight saving time end in 2026?
US daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 2:00 a.m. local time: clocks fall back to 1:00 a.m. From then on Eastern time is 13 hours behind Beijing (Pacific 16 hours). It starts again on Sunday, March 14, 2027 at 2:00 a.m., when clocks spring forward and the gap shrinks back to 12 hours (Pacific 15). The rule is the 2nd Sunday of March to the 1st Sunday of November.
What about Arizona and Hawaii?
Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii do not observe daylight saving time. Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time, 15 hours behind Beijing all year — the same as California in winter, the same as Denver in summer. Hawaii stays 18 hours behind Beijing. Alaska does change: 16 hours behind Beijing in summer, 17 in winter.
When is a good time to video call (WeChat) family in China?
The easy overlaps are the US evening (Beijing morning of the next day) and the US morning (Beijing evening of the same day). From the East Coast in winter, 6–10 p.m. ET is 7–11 a.m. the next day in Beijing; 7–9 a.m. ET is 8–10 p.m. in Beijing. From the West Coast, evenings work best: 6–9 p.m. PT in winter is 10 a.m.–1 p.m. in Beijing. Use the helper above for your zone and date.
How do I read flight arrival times between the US and China?
Airline tickets always show departure and arrival in each airport’s local time. A flight leaving San Francisco at 1:00 p.m. on Monday and landing in Shanghai at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday (“+1”) takes about 13 hours in winter (16-hour difference), not 29. Returning, you often land in the US “before” you took off on the clock. Convert the arrival time here if family is picking you up.
Is Beijing time the same as Shanghai or China Standard Time?
Yes. China Standard Time (CST, UTC+8) is the single time zone for mainland China; computers usually call it Asia/Shanghai. Note that in the US “CST” also means Central Standard Time (UTC−6), 14 hours behind Beijing — check which one a meeting invite means.