If you are considering driving in China for business, it is highly likely your employer will have arranged a driver for you. With driving conditions highly challenging, it is something you would be strongly advised to accept.

However if you must drive in China, you must plan well in advance as a standard international driving licence will not meet the requirements. You will need a Chinese licence, and People’s Republic of China rules state that an international driving permit can be converted to a local licence, possibly with an additional examination, which sounds like a great deal of trouble unless you are going to be in the country for some time.

A provisional licence can now be obtained quite easily in major cities like Beijing, from places like counters at Beijing Capital Airport, without any tests. Getting a regular licence may be quite complicated, and the rules vary considerably over time.

Licensing

First, you need to pass a computerised theory test of over 900 multiple-choice questions with a requirement to score at least 90% to pass. Generally you can be excused from the actual driving test if you have a foreign licence. Often self-drive tours offer a service where the tour operator will obtain the licence for you; it is debatable as to whether you could then use this for business purposes, so check first.

If you have navigated all this, there is a wide range of things to be aware of. In mainland China, traffic drives on the right, while their neighbours (Hong Kong, Macau, India, Nepal) drive on the left.

You need to be aware that a government, military, police and fire department vehicle may not follow any rules of the road. You will identify them by their white or blue number plates.

Road conditions vary widely between municipalities, so be ready for changing conditions. Generally western provinces are poorer than the east coast and Guangzhou region.

Missing Drain Covers

If you can, you should drive near the middle-right of the road, as drain covers are often stolen. You could be sharing the road with pedestrians, bicycles, tricycles and animals – amazingly farmers sometimes use part of the road to dry grains.

Be aware that turning off of main roads may require off-road driving skills and a vehicle to match, and could be illegal.

In major city roads traffic is often congested. Beijing, in spite of five ring roads and nine arterial expressways, is generally regarded as a tougher place to drive than Shanghai, which has a series of elevated expressways and tunnels.

To the average overseas driver, it may seem there are no rules on Chinese roads. While there of course are, Westerners have to keep their wits about them and try to keep moving. One guide book I found simply said: “Do not assume that Chinese drivers will follow any rule you know.”

You need to adopt a ‘defensive’ driving technique, and expect drivers to change lanes without warning or looking. Cutting people off, swerving into the oncoming lane, driving on the hard shoulder, in a fenced-off bicycle lane, the wrong way down a divided highway are all commonplace – so don’t be surprised! And running red lights is also quite common.

You might prefer driving during the night to avoid the dense traffic. If you choose to do this, be aware that many drivers of very large construction trucks prefer to be active between 10pm and 4am on roads like the Jingmilu (Beijing). Some of these lorry drivers might not bother with lights either.

So if you do feel brave and take the wheel in China, we wish you the best of luck.