Price: Click for Replacement You'll need a GSM Phone to go with this card!

The prepaid SIM card for China is easily the least expensive solution for making and receiving cellular phone calls while you are in China. Incoming calls at extremely low rates! Outgoing rates, as outlined below, are also inexpensive as well. And since these cellular phone cards are prepaid, there is no need for a contract.

Having a cellular phones while travelling internationally is indispensable in terms of security and convenience, and with a prepaid China SIM card, it is now also affordable! We also offer other overseas destinations. Click here to view our complete list of prepaid SIM cards!

Features:

• Low rates for incoming calls!
• A China SIM card from China Mobile
• $18 starter airtime credit
• A local cell phone number in China
• SMS text messaging
• No yearly contract, monthly charges or credit check

note: Country specific SIM cards can only be used with GSM cellular phones. You will need to rent or purchase one of our unlocked GSM phones designed for overseas use.

Call from the US to your Overseas SIM CARD number at SUPER-LOW RATES with International Calling!

SIM cards that are opened are non-refundable.

Package Deals:

Motorola RAZR V3* and the CHINA SIM Card Both Together Only $160!  You Save $49.95
More Info	Quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz Bluetooth and USB connectivity 260K colors LCD screen 3.86 x 2.08 x 0.54 inches 3.35 ounces CLICK FOR ALTERNATE SIM PACKAGE

Motorola W375* and the CHINA SIM Card Both Together Only $130!  You Save $39.95
More Info	Tri-band 900/1800/1900 MHz VGA, 640x480 pixels camera FM Radio Tuner 65K colors LCD screen 3.9 x 1.75 x 0.7 inches 3.1 ounces OUT OF STOCK

Omni Phone* and the CHINA SIM Card Both Together Only $60!  You Save $19.95
More Info	Unlocked Tri-Band (900, 1800, 1900MHz) 1.8 inch 65K TFT LCD Feather-light Weight OUT OF STOCK

*These phones will also work with all of the other SIM cards we sell. See all our SIM Cards

Activating Your Service:

Your China SIM card will provide you with a China cellular phone number and will be printed on an information card contained within the prepaid SIM card packaging. The number will start with a "13..." and be one of the only numbers on your China SIM card written in English numbers. It can also be seen from the window on the back of the China SIM card packaging prior to being removed.

• Be sure that battery is charged
• Insert the China Mobile SIM card into the cell phone
• Turn on your cell phone
• Enter PIN "1234" if requested^*
• Dial 13800138000 to activate your China cell phone
• Activation will be confirmed via a text message (SMS)

• Scratch off the enclosed airtime voucher to reveal an 18 digit code
• Dial 13800138000
• Select option 2 for English and then option1 to recharge
• Enter the 18 digit reload code
• A voice prompt will confirm your credit balance
• You are now ready to call and be called**

* The PUK is only required to unblock you phone if you enter in a PIN code incorrectly 3 times using your China cell phone. Your phone may or may not prompt you for a PIN code. Follow your cell phone manual instructions to correctly use the PUK to unblock your China cell phone.

Your phone number is written in gray numbers on the card inside the package.

Customer service for your China Mobile prepaid SIM card is available 24 hr./day by dialing 1860 (Select option 2 for English) at any time from your China cellular phone.

When calling overseas from the United States to your China cell phone number callers will need to dial 011 followed by your China cell phone number. To call the United States or Canada from your China cell phone simply dial 001 followed by the area code and phone number.

Adding Talk Time:

To add airtime credit to your China Prepaid SIM card simply purchase an airtime voucher or reload card. These airtime vouchers are available for purchase locally in China at most, kiosks, petrol stations and convenience stores in RMB 50 ($6), 100 ($12), 300 ($36) and 500 ($60).

China Prepaid SIM card airtie credit is available at face value and so a RMB 50 airtime voucher will cost you RMB 50 and subsequently will credit your China mobile SIM card for RMB 50.

To credit your China SIM card with the airtime voucher simply:

• Scratch off the silver/grey covering on the voucher of your China SIM packaging
• Dial 13800138000
• Select option 2 for English
• Select option1 to recharge
• Enter the 18-digit reload code
• A voice prompt will confirm your credit balance

Rates:

All incoming calls using your China SIM and China cell phone are charged per minute.

China Domestic Rates (per minute)
Call Type	Non-Roaming	Roaming
All incoming Calls	YUAN 0.6 ($0.07)	YUAN 0.8 ($0.09) + 0.07 YUAN ($0.07) / 6 sec
Outgoing Local Calls (within province)	YUAN 0.6 ($0.07)	YUAN 0.08 ($0.09)
Outgoing Long Distance Calls (DDD)	YUAN 0.6 ($0.07) + 0.07 YUAN ($0.07) / 6 sec	YUAN 0.08 ($0.09) + 0.07 YUAN ($0.07) / 6 sec

All international outgoing calls using your China SIM card and cell phone with the exception of Taiwan are charged at a flat per minute rate with your China SIM card. All incoming calls are charged at a flat $0.19/minute regardless of where a call originates.

China International Rates (per minute)
Call Type	Rates
All incoming Calls	YUAN 1.5 ($0.19)
Calls to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan	YUAN 2.8 ($0.35)
International with Direct Dial*	YUAN 8.8 ($1.10)
International with IP 17951**	YUAN 5.4 ($0.67)

* Standard direct dial calls are 00 + country code + phone number from your China cellular phone.

** Like a standard call but add 17951. Your call will be routed using IP, over the internet and call quality may be affected.

Service Life:

If additional airtime is not loaded within a maximum time of 2 years from the time of activation then your China prepaid SIM card will expire and all remaining airtime credit will be forfeit.

The service life of your China prepaid SIM card may be extended indefinitely by the purchasing and loading of airtime vouchers which depending on their denomination will provide a service life extension and all subsequent airtime credit will be carried over into the next validity period.

Recharge card expiration date:
Voucher Value	Validity period
RMB 50 ($6)	90 days
RMB 100 ($12)	180 days
RMB 300 ($38)	360 days
RMB 500 ($60)	360 days

If the remaining airtime credit on your China SIM card drops below RMB 10, then 60 seconds after connecting, you will hear a beep as a warning and/or the call will disconnect immediately if there is no value remaining.

China mobile will not print out phone charges. Customers can only check their remaining value by calling 13800138000.

Coverage:

Cellular coverage in China is excellent, far exceeding typical cellular coverage in the US.

Outsourcing in China: Five Basics for Reducing Risk by: Steve Dickinson

Many small and medium sized companies that engage in OEM manufacturing/outsourcing in China fail to take the steps necessary to protect themselves. When problems arise, they can do little or nothing to protect themselves because they have no legal basis for protection. The fact is that outsourcing disputes must be resolved in China, under the Chinese legal system. The Chinese legal system has improved greatly over the past ten years and taking a few basic legal steps can greatly reduce your risk. The cost of such protection is modest compared to the protection it will provide.

The following five basic steps will greatly reduce your problems with Chinese manufacturers, while improving your chances of recovering should any problems arise.

1. Create and properly register your intellectual property rights in the United States. If you do not have a firm basis for your IP rights under U.S. law, you will have nothing to protect in China. Before you go to China, be sure your intellectual property is protected under U.S. law. Protect your brand identity by creating and registering your trademark, slogan and logo with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Register your important copyrights with the U.S. Copyright Office. Carefully identify and protect your trade secrets, proprietary information and know how.

2. Register your trademarks in China. Registration can protect your future access to the Chinese market, prevent the export of counterfeit goods from China, and prevent a competitor from registering your mark in China, which would prohibit you from exporting your own product from China.

3. Use a written agreement to protect your know how and trade secrets in China. Small and medium companies usually do not have an extensive portfolio of patents. Their most valuable intangible assets typically are their know how and trade secrets, which cannot be protected by formal registration. Chinese law, however, permits companies to contractually protect their know how and trade secrets by contract. Such agreements may also address issues such as non-competition and confidentiality. Without such a written agreement, no such protection is available.

4. Product Quality and Payment Terms. The rule here is simple. Do not make final payment to your Chinese manufacturer until you are confident you will be getting an on time shipment of the correct items and quantities at the quality standards you require. This usually means you must incur inspection costs in China and provide for a clear procedure for dealing with these problems as they arise. You must take the lead on this. You cannot depend on the OEM manufacturer to do this for you.

5. Use comprehensive OEM Agreements with each manufacturer. Small and medium sized businesses often enter into OEM manufacturing transactions with a simple purchase order. This is a mistake. The purchase order will protect the Chinese manufacturer, not you. Your protection depends on your securing a written OEM manufacturing agreement with each Chinese manufacturer with which you deal. The ideal OEM agreement will address all of the issues discussed above while also addressing other basic legal issues such as jurisdiction and dispute resolution. This agreement should be in both Chinese and English, since the Chinese language version will control in China.

About The Author

Give Your Enemy the Keys to Your House

by: Scott Bianchi

Everybody has an enemy, or someone they just do not like or trust. We are going to try a new exercise and give the keys to ours house, cars, and bank account numbers to our biggest enemy. Sounds like a brilliant idea, right? It must be brilliant, our government is doing just that. http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/23/port.security/index.html

I have been critical in the past about our government and our politicians in the past. I will continue to be as long as our country is run the same way. We are just four and a half years removed from two planes destroying two buildings, killing thousands of people, and ruining the lives of the people left behind. Those terrorists were of an Arabian background. Obviously not all people can be grouped together but there is a difference between sitting next to one on a bus and allowing our ports to be run by them.

In the article, Bush said he didn’t hear anyone complaining that England was running one of our ports. While it is understandable why we would let England run a port, I do not agree with that either. Why wouldn’t we run our own ports? Why do we need other countries running our ports if they are so important? China, a communist country, is running a dock in Los Angles? Does that make sense to anyone either?

It amazes me what politicians come up with and how they can justify it. I am sure that most people did not know that many of our bombs and tools for defending our country are built in China as well. Yes, our government has contracted with a communist country to build weapons we need to defend ourselves in the event of a war. My question is, who is most likely to attack us besides the terrorists? My answer is, a communist country such as China.

Of course every politician that is hoping to become President in 2008 will jump all over this situation to bring light to themselves. While this is a good reason to criticize the Bush administration I think they will have other motives. As voters we really need to begin seeing through all of this garbage. We have to make much better decisions in choosing the leaders of our country. Common sense would indicate that you would not give up control of our six biggest ports to a country that is well-known for supporting terrorism in the past.

As voters we need to regain control of the country and begin making a difference in how our country is governed. I will continue to make this plea over the coming years through many different articles. Hopefully by the next Presidential election people will be seeing things differently. If you do not like the candidates in the 2008 election you can always feel free to write my name in on the ballot, I know I could do a better job.

Pearl Earrings: The Glories Of The Past

by: Robert Thatcher

Though pearls are common as parts of more expensive jewelries, they were for long, have been reserved only for the richest people of the noblest standards. Before 1900s, a single pearl necklace can never be equated to anything. It is known to be been the most expensive stone throughout history and was hailed as the Queen of Pearls.

Who first discovered pearl and recognized its uniqueness are questions that are still to be answered. But according to George Frederick Kunz, the first American gemologist firmly stated his belief that the first people who appreciated pearls and brought them to market is an ancient fish eating tribe which existed somewhere in the Indian coast.

And since the first discovery of the pearls, its glory has continued until the present age. Traces of pearls in history tell us that it has been well credited in many of the ancient worlds, specifically ion China, India, Egypt, and the Roman Empire.

The Romans are notably the craziest people over pearls. This is marked by specific times in Roman history when pearls played the central part. The most celebrated of these is the banquet in Cleopatra's hall.

To convince Mark Antony that Egypt is above conquest, she showcased her land's wealth and heritage by giving the most expensive dinner in all history. During the said dinner, Queen Cleopatra crushed a piece of a large pearl from a pair of pearl earrings. She dissolved the pearl in a goblet of wine or vinegar and drank the liquid down. This account ended with Mark Antony declining the dinner and the matching pearl earring. He then gave the admittance that the queen won.

The popularity of pearls rose at the height of the Roman era. On one account by Suetonius, he mentioned that the General Vitellius sold a single pearl earring and used the money to finance an entire roman army campaign.

The Romans are the craziest with regards to pearls but the Arabs have the deepest love for the gem. This affection over the pearl is evident in the Koran, especially in the section where the Paradise is being described.

All these craze on pearls had run down in history due to the gem's rarity. However, by the turn of the century, pearls became practically a common jewelry. Most present users actually no longer appreciate the values of their pearl necklaces, pearl earrings and the likes. This is brought forth by the mass production that has revolutionized the status of the most valued gem.

The great irony in the most glorified gem is that even the lesser priced cultured pearl rivals the quality of the most expensive natural pearl there is. In a sense, its value was lost over the "synthetically" produced pearls. Though this became a very welcomed source of the rare pearls, this resulted to unfair treatment of the once exulted gem.

The major manufacturers of these cultured pearls are Japan and China. Kokichi Mikimoto developed a technique of producing the gem "on demand". But while he painstakingly created his methods, Tatsuhei Mise and government biologist Tokichi Nishikawa independently created the similar process of pearl culturing.

Chinese producers adopted their methods, and the 1970s astounded the world with the immense number of literally "cheap" pearls. Thus the coming of relatively cheap pearl earrings, necklaces, pendants and other pearl accessories.

The glory has ended and new trends of pearl production have arrived. So what's in store for pearls now?

Traveling in Asia is Affordable

by: John Riggin

The sight of new and different items on display and the excitement of open air markets and colorful shops makes shopping in Asia a unique and fun experience. Not only will you see goods that are different and hard to come by in the west, but you'll find prices much different than those you're accustomed to, and different from prices seen when traveling to other regions, like Europe.

In China, clothing costs about four or five times less than in European countries. However, the sizing system is much different than in the U.S. A woman who wears a size medium in the United States will find herself browsing the extra large section of the department store. It is wise to try everything on to make sure it fits before buying, and carefully consider the size of any clothing item you plan to purchase as a gift for someone else.

In India clothing can be had for about half the price that it would cost in European stores, if you know where to shop. For example, on Mumbai's Fashion Street, surplus from the city's clothing factories can scooped up at bargain prices. It is best to purchase clothing made by famous European designers in Europe. Taxes and duties on imported goods in Asian countries tend to drive the prices up. An exception is Hong Kong, where goods are not taxed and the prices are often comparable to the European prices.

Naturally, Asian goods of all kinds are considerably cheaper in Asian countries than in Europe. For example, Chinese chops, which are name stamps usually used with red ink, can be found in many shops catering to tourists for about $5.

The purchaser's name is normally carved into the chop at the store. The same item would cost around $40 outside of China.

Beautiful and unique jewelry can be purchased in Asia for bargain prices. Because of India's strong diamond industry, diamond rings and earrings can be bought for less than half of what they would cost in Europe. For pearls, you would pay about five times more in Europe than in China for a strand of similar size and quality.

A massage in China will run about $10, where a similar massage in Europe will cost roughly $80. The Chinese have practiced massage techniques for thousands of years, and a genuine Chinese massage is extremely relaxing. Foot rubs are popular as well, especially for travelers who have spent long hours on their feet visiting temples and climbing several stories of stairs in pagodas.

A tailor made silk shirt in Hong Kong costs around $100. Beautiful silk fabric is available in Vietnam for around $3-$9 a yard, depending on the quality. Good quality silk fabric in China costs about $4.00 a yard. The fabric tends to be narrower than the standard 45 or 60 inch widths, so make sure to ask how wide it is before purchasing. The method of producing silk from the cocoons of silkworms was originally developed by the Chinese and remained a secret for hundreds of years. Eventually the technique became known and spread across Asia and Europe, but to this day China remains the leader in producing silk.

Remember that the prices listed above are guidelines. Prices will vary from shop to shop - expect to pay more at the store in the hotel lobby than the one tucked away on a side street. Also, in most Asian countries it is customary to bargain over prices and your skill at bargaining will determine the price you ultimately pay for your purchases.

Country Codes
Afghanistan 93 Albania 355 Algeria 213 Andorra 376 Anguilla 1264 Antigua & Barbuda 1268 Argentina 54 Armenia 374 Australia 61 Austria 43 Azerbaijan 994 Bahamas 1242 Bahrain 973 Bangladesh 880 Barbados 1246 Belarus 375 Belgium 32 Bermuda 1441 Bosnia Herzegovina 387 Botswana 267 Brazil 55 Brunei 673 Bulgaria 359 Burundi 257 Cambodia 855 Cameroon 237 Canada 1 Cape Verde 238 Cayman Islands 1345 Chile 56 China 86 Columbia 57 Congo 242 Croatia 385 Cuba 53 Cyprus (North) 90392 Cyprus (South) 357 Czech Republic 420 Denmark 45 Dominica 1767 Dominican Republic 1809 Egypt 20 El Salvador 503 Equatorial Guinea 240 Estonia 372 Falkland Islands 500 Faroe Islands 298 Fiji 679 Finland 358 France 33 Georgia 995 Germany 49 Gibraltar 350 Greece 30 Greenland 299	Grenada 1473 Guadeloupe 590 Guam 1671 Haiti 509 Hong Kong 852 Hungary 36 Iceland 354 India 91 Indonesia 62 Iran 98 Iraq 964 Ireland 353 Israel 972 Italy 39 Ivory Coast 225 Jamaica 1876 Japan 81 Jordan 962 Kazakhstan 7 Kenya 254 Korea (North) 850 Korea (South) 82 Kuwait 965 Kyrgyz Republic 996 Latvia 371 Lebanon 961 Lesotho 266 Libya 218 Liechtenstein 423 Lithuania 370 Luxembourg 352 Macau 853 Macedonia 389 Madagascar 261 Malawi 265 Malaysia 60 Maldives 960 Malta 356 Mauritius 230 Mexico 52 Moldova 373 Monaco 377 Mongolia 976 Montserrat 1664 Morocco 212 Mozambique 258 Myanmar (Burma) 95 Namibia 264 Nepal 977 Netherlands 31 New Zealand 64 Nigeria 234 Norway 47 Oman 968 Pakistan 92	Paraguay 595 Peru 51 Philippines 63 Poland 48 Portugal 351 Puerto Rico 1787 Qatar 974 Reunion 262 Romania 40 Russia 7 Rwanda 250 San Marino 378 Saudi Arabia 966 Senegal 221 Serbia & Montenegro 381 Seychelles 248 Singapore 65 Slovakia 421 Slovenia 386 South Africa 27 Spain 34 Sri Lanka 94 St.Kitts & Nevis 1869 St.Lucia 1758 St.Vincent & Grenadines 1784 Sudan 249 Suriname 597 Swaziland 268 Sweden 46 Switzerland 41 Syria 963 Taiwan 886 Tanzania 255 Thailand 66 Togo 228 Tonga 676 Trinidad & Tobago 1868 Tunisia 216 Turkey 90 Turkmenistan 993 Turks & Caicos Islands 1649 Uganda 256 Ukraine 380 United Arab Emirates 971 United Kingdom 44 USA 1 Uzbekistan 998 Venezuela 582 Vietnam 84 Virgin Islands (British) 1284 Virgin Islands (US) 1340 Yemen 967 Zambia 260 Zimbabwe 263