Australian citizens obtaining Chinese visa enroute

You can apply it in the consulate general in New York. Provide the following documents: valid passort and the photocopy of its data page, a filled application form affixed with your recently taken color photo, the original and photocopy of your entry permis for US, and roundtrip tickets and hotel booking records for China. Note that the L type is genrally only valid for three months, if you apply it in February, you need to pay attention to its validity and enter China before it expires.

Thanks for your reply Elton, very much appreciated. As we are entering USA via the Visa Waiver Program, would our ESTA application suffice as an entry permit to USA? We will apply three months from the last day of our stay in China to ensure the visa is valid.