China, in general, is a very safe country, with low violent crime rates. That does not mean it does not exist - it is just very rare in first tier cities and the east coast of China (where most of the infrastructure, economic development and tourism are located). Due to limitations on the press, not all crimes and security concerns are reported publicly. Nonetheless, studies by the UN office on Drugs and Crime suggest that the rate of violent crime in China is significantly lower compared to major Western countries.
Most foreigners who are visiting or even living in the country are unlikely to encounter any issues. Still, as with any place, it's important to take precautions. The most common incidences involve petty crime, scams and escort solicitation. And most governments' travel advisories rate China as:
Terrorism risk: Low - but exercise high degree of caution in the northwest of China in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR)
Crime risk: Low
Political violence: Low - but exercise high degree of caution in HK and Macau
Environmental risk: Medium (dependent on the region)
Transportation risk: Medium (mostly traffic related)
Civil rights/Privacy/Freedom of Speech: High
Terrorism Risk
China has never experienced any major terrorism act in any of their major cities or areas. Terrorism in China is mostly confined to a region of China called the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR). XUAR has a high population of Uyghurs - an officially recognized ethnic minority of China that primarily practices Islam.
Radicalist groups in the XUAR regions, particularly the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) wish for this area to be an independent region without Chinese influence, and has often resorted to violence to spread its message. Most of the incidents involve knife wielding perpetrators targeting police, government buildings, and officials, though it has also claimed responsibility for the Beijing 2013 Tiananmen square attack where a car was loaded with a suicide bomb, killing the three perpetrators and two tourists.
Other attacks claimed by the ETIM have largely occurred in the XUAR region, with the most high profile one being the 2015 coal mine knife attack killing 50 in Xinjiang; the 2014 bombings in Xinjiang killing 43; and the knife attack at the Kunming railway station in Yunnan killing 31 (one of the rare incidents outside of the Xinjiang region). Many smaller incidents are rarely published in the news and concrete numbers are not easily gathered.
These acts of terrorism have sparked an elevated state of security in the region, though some human rights organizations maintain that counter-terrorism is used as a pretext to suppress the Uighur population as a whole.
Crime Risk
Shanghai is generally considered safe relative to other metropolitan cities of comparable size. China’s high conviction rate, use of modern technology in policing, and extensive law enforcement presence throughout the city serve to deter most criminal activity. Violent crimes (homicides, burglaries, robberies) do occur, but the rate of these crimes is relatively low considering the city’s large population (estimated to be roughly 25.5 million).
Most violent crimes affecting the expatriate community occur at bars, clubs, and restaurants in Shanghai’s vibrant nightlife districts. Bar fights can occur due to misunderstandings, bravado, alcohol consumption, or a combination thereof. At the same time, bars are often overcrowded, and safety standards are seldom enforced. Prostitutes and drug dealers, though illegal in China, are known to be present in some clubs. And while Shanghai is generally considered to be safe for women, sexual assaults do occur, though they often go unreported.
Petty crimes (pick-pocketing, credit card fraud, various financial scams) happen at a higher rate. Pick-pocketing is quite common on public transportation, at shopping areas, and at tourist sites, and small pick-pocketing groups tend to work in concert. Scams, particularly the infamous "tea scam" are also quite common (i.e. a scenario where the target is invited to a tea house and is then confronted, forced to hand over his/her credit card, and charged hundreds or thousands of dollars for undelivered or grossly overvalued services).
There are also active cyber threat actors targeting foreign governments and members of the private sector. Foreign individuals and organizations in Shanghai should remain vigilant against potential intrusions to their proprietary networks and information technology systems.
Political Violence Risk
Legal demonstrations need to be registered by the government and approved before they can be carried out. Therefore, organised demonstrations are rare. The demonstrations that have occurred have been mostly peaceful and were mostly focused on labor disputes, environmental issues, corruption, and so forth. Large scale demonstrations in mainland China are nearly unheard of, though Hong Kong and, to a lesser extent, Macau have seen large scale student-led demonstrations in recent years.
Environmental Risk
China being a huge country, has a variety of environmental risks. The major cities generally do not experience any major form of force majeure incidents such as tsunami, hurricanes, major floods, earthquakes or the like. However other regions of China do.
China has ongoing air pollution issues, particularly in Beijing, but Shanghai as a whole enjoys fairly stable PM 2.5 levels in the average of 60-80 across the year.
Major typhoon periods in the late spring/early summer which may cause some flooding in the outskirts of Shanghai, in the Suzhou creek and Huangpu river areas. Some metro stations may be flooded as well during this period.
Transportation Risks
The physical road conditions in metropolitan Shanghai are generally good. There is a significant volume of vehicular traffic, which results in frequent congestion and delays. Driving conditions in rural areas within the Shanghai consular district can be poor. Similarly, while modern and convenient conveyances (English-language drivers, directions, maps) may be found in developed areas, more remote locations may not offer the same services.
The greatest road hazard remains to be local drivers. Many have limited experience operating motor vehicles and can be either overly cautious or overly aggressive, frequently leading to traffic accidents. The presence of traffic police at heavily congested intersections increased in 2016; however, traffic laws are often ignored and enforcement is done remotely by video cameras, primarily through speed traps. Road signs and traffic signals are often blatantly disregarded, and drivers frequently fail to signal or yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians, even in crosswalks. More often than not, traffic-related injuries involve motorbike and bicycle operators being struck by motor vehicles.
Pedestrians share the sidewalks not only with motor bikes and bicycles but also with cars and must remain alert at all times. Electronic surveillance, through video cameras and photos have been stepped up significantly in the inner city districts throughout 2017, with many in the inner city essentially completely covered by traffic cameras and punishing car drivers for violating traffic laws. This has significantly helped pedestrians crossing the streets, particularly at zebra crossings.
Shanghai Metro, Railway Stations and Airports enjoy relative high security, especially in recent years, where on the spot ID checks are done by uniformed police in metro stations. Bag checks are also conducted at metros, railway stations, and airports.
Civil rights/Privacy/Freedom of Speech
That China keeps a tight rein on local access to the internet, for example, is hardly news. Foreign (and even some national) websites are blocked, particularly Western social media such as Facebook and Twitter. This internet censure is often referred to as the “Great Firewall of China”. In the autonomous regions of Tibet and Xinjiang, where ethnic tensions have been particularly high, internet access may even be blocked completely. When not blocked, online activities are often closely monitored, and anyone who dares to speak out against the government in the perceived anonymity of the World Wide Web may face dire consequences.
Visitors should be aware that they have no expectation of privacy in public or private locations. Covert and overt surveillance are present almost essentially everywhere, including illegal monitoring devices that might be hidden in hotel rooms, residences, and so forth without the occupants' consent or knowledge. Members of the private sector are encouraged to take precautions to safeguard sensitive, personal, and/or proprietary information, including information stored on personal laptops, cell phones, etc. All means of communication (telephones, mobile phones, faxes, e-mails, text messages) are likely monitored, due to the internet usage monitoring to prevent access to sensitive topics and certain websites.
However one should note that unless you are posting something online, recording it or mentioning it to a large audience, expressing concerns or discussing political opinions for private purpose is not going to alert authorities to your situation. Most of these are reserved for public officials, government related bodies, public figures, well-known people with large followers and so on. China has changed and become much more open-minded in the past decade, but keep it personal and private.
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