China Standard (CST)
Beijing operates on China Standard (CST). This time zone does not observe Daylight Saving Time.
Time Zone: China Standard Time (CST) — Offset: UTC+8 — DST: Not observed
Country: China
China does not observe Daylight Saving Time. The UTC+8 offset remains constant year-round, which simplifies international scheduling.
Beijing operates on China Standard Time (CST, UTC+8), the only time zone used across all of China. Despite the country spanning five geographical time zones, the government mandates a single national time. This means when it's noon in Beijing, it's also officially noon in cities 3,000 miles to the west. Beijing's time zone significance extends beyond China — as the political capital of the world's second-largest economy, CST is tracked by governments, businesses, and media organizations worldwide.
China's central government operates from Beijing, making CST the time zone for major policy announcements, economic data releases, and diplomatic communications. The People's Bank of China, National Bureau of Statistics, and State Council all follow CST schedules. Economic data releases — GDP, trade figures, PMI — are timed to CST and closely watched by global markets. Press conferences and government briefings at Zhongnanhai follow Beijing time.
The Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges operate from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM CST (with a 90-minute lunch break). While physically located in Shanghai and Shenzhen, these markets serve the entire Chinese economy directed from Beijing. The Beijing-based China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) announces regulatory changes on CST, and these announcements can affect global market sentiment.
Beijing is 8 hours ahead of London (7 during BST) and 13 hours ahead of New York (12 during EDT). The significant gap with Western capitals makes Beijing-Washington diplomacy and US-China business challenging for real-time coordination. Most US-China calls happen at the edges of both business days: 8-9 AM CST catches 7-8 PM ET the previous evening. For European partners, afternoon Beijing (3-4 PM CST) reaches morning London (7-8 AM GMT).