My battery packs are property of the Chinese government now because of this one critical rule change that I wish I’d known about before flying!
“No three Cs,” the airport security officer told me over and over again while walking away with what I’d selected as my number one best portable power bank. At that moment, I felt naked without my precious charging, and with a 13-hour flight ahead of me from Beijing to LAX, all of my devices were cooked.
So I should really put my hands up here — I really should’ve known about this massive change in Chinese government regulations before flying there. Let me be clear: your power bank needs a “three Cs” logo (a stamp from the government to say it’s safe to fly) otherwise security will confiscate it.
While I’d still recommend the Cuktech power bank for traveling anywhere else, this (and many other options on our current guide) are on a strict no fly list in the far East, and I’m busily testing to find the best battery pack for flying to/from China. Allow me to give you a short history lesson on how we got here, what that means for your purchase options, and what I’d recommend.
The three Cs
Before 2023, power banks weren’t regulated strictly in China, and as they were mostly manufactured in the country, this led to a huge influx of cheap, low quality devices with subpar lithium-ion cells (the actual battery part). This made them prone to swelling or even catching fire.
Fast forward to 2023, and the nation’s government took action with the mandatory China Compulsory Certification (3C) — a logo that signifies the battery has passed grueling safety testing. Then in August 2024, it became illegal to produce or sell power banks in the country without this certification.
But things escalated in mid-2025 when the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) began enforcing this rule at airport security checkpoints. They actively seek both a 3C mark alongside a QR code for traceability, plus a capacity well under 100 watt hours (Wh).
What should you get?
So I’ll be upfront — only one of these portable batteries on our best power banks list has the 3C logo. We’ll make this more clear in our buying guide and make it a ground rule to ensure transparency on whether this certification exists.
The one on our guide that has this is the Sharge IceMag 2. This is a 10,000 mAh MagSafe charger with built-in cooling to ensure consistent 15W charging without overheating (or 30W wired fast charging).
Plus with the kickstand, this has been a convenient one for me to drive daily in terms of setting it up on my tray table while binge watching. I’ve called in many more 3C logo batteries to ensure we can expand this list.
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