Third Country Taiwan?

144 hour transit starts the day after arrival so scheduled Shanghai arrival at 12:50 pm on June 30th means the 144 hours does not start until July 1st. That means your scheduled departure just needs to be by 23:59 on July 6th. Taiwan still counts as a third country. Just make sure flight to Shanghai does not also land in Taiwan and doesn't land in another mainland Chinese city.

Are you sure? Taiwan's full name is Republic of China and is not recognized as independent of China. It sounds like the safest bet is to get the China Visa. I appreciate your quick response though. Thank you,

Todd, why bother asking your question if you’re going to ignore the correct answer? Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao count as international destinations for immigration purposes. But if you are a USA citizen it does make sense to get the 10 year visa if you might return to China later.

Todd, CDKING is absolutely right and he does not mislead you when saying that Taiwan is regarded as third country within the rules that govern what to do and where to go. By this phrase "third country" nobody implies that China recognizes Taiwan as independent country, but simply treat it as "third country" in the same way as they treat Hong Kong and Macau for traveling purposes. This way of expression does not imply anything political, but just practical to be understood in the better way. So, if you decide to travel on the itinerary that you have mentioned in your first post, you will be pleasantly surprised and even more, you will not have to issue any kind of visa. Of course, the final decision is all yours :).