Flying to Bali with a layover in China - do you need to show Indonesia visa at boarding and how strict is Chinese airport transit control?

Transit connections in China can involve a longer-than-usual security/immigration check - this is common at Chinese airports. Tip (half-joking): if you're running late for your connection, showing your boarding pass to airport staff along the way can help speed things up.

Several travelers who flew Chinese airlines with a transit through China to Indonesia multiple times report that no one checked for an Indonesia visa at boarding.

First-time flyers connecting through China often worry that Chinese border/security officers are extremely strict with no exceptions - but based on other travelers' experience, this isn't necessarily the case at every Chinese airport.