VOA available for Malaysian? I'm transiting through Shenzhen to Hainan Haikou.

Jack, I wouldn't do that if I were you. It is correct that this option that is called 30 days visa free access is definitely tided with a travel agency, so it implies quite a tiresome procedure.

As far as Hainan 30 days VOA is concerned it is a bit of a grey zone. It was officiall launched a couple of years ago and now, roughly a month ago revived, but so far it seems that this VOA has not yet entered into routine use and we also lack any reliable feedback. In other words, you cannot be certain that you will be granted one when and if you succssfully arrive at Hainan island. I would be the happiest person if only I could tell you with some reasonable degree of certainty that you have great chances, but I simply cannot do that.

In any case, if you decide to travel to Hainan I would appreaciate your feedback a lot. Now, I can just wish you luck if you decide to proceed with this idea.

Both VOA and transit-free access limit you to certain areas. If you want to travel widely to several destinations in China, then the only way is to obtain a regular visa in advance.

I am flying next week, I did some research saying VOA u can do it up to 15 days, provided bringing along your flight details hotel bookings etc. Tried contacting the visa centre for enquiry but no one picked up… hope for the best

Yes Scott, you are right, but I was comparing the areas allowed by VOAs that are indeed very limited to those available by using 144 hour visa free transit. Just to compare Shenzhen only VOA and the entire Guangdong province...

Jack, you are advised not to try this 15 days visa on arrival because this option is open just to some categories like cruises, group visits and several other. You should refrain from relying on this option because you will be refused entry or better to say, you will not be even allowed boarding your China bound flight.