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DateAlmanac

What is CST (China) in AST?

Atlantic Time is 11 hours behind

China Standard Time is on UTC+8:00 and Atlantic Time is on UTC−3:00 right now. Atlantic Time is on daylight saving, so its clocks read ADT. The gap changes during the year — see below.

Time in Beijing
8:53:04 PM
Time in Halifax
9:53:04 AM
Difference
−11 h
Next clock change
November 1, 2026

Convert a time

ADT — Atlantic Time

9:00 am

ADT, Fri

When the difference changes

China Standard Time and Atlantic Time do not change their clocks on the same dates, so the gap between them is not the same all year. Most converters show only today’s figure. These are the periods ahead:

  1. Now – November 1, 2026Atlantic Time is 11 hours behind
  2. November 1, 2026 – March 14, 2027Atlantic Time is 12 hours behind
  3. March 14, 2027 – onwardsAtlantic Time is 11 hours behind

Periods shorter than a day are not listed. Each zone changes at its own local time, so on a date when both move there are a few hours when the gap is briefly something else.

Daylight saving

China Standard Time

No clock changes

China Standard Time stays on CST all year, so its offset from UTC never moves.

Atlantic Time

Sunday, November 1, 2026

Clocks go back one hour — 2:00 am becomes 1:00 am local time, and the zone is on AST after that.

CST (China) to AST conversion table

Every hour of Friday, September 25, 2026, converted from China Standard Time to Atlantic Time. 11 of the 24 hours fall on a different calendar day in Halifax, which is marked.

12:00 am CST
1:00 pm ADT−1 day
1:00 am CST
2:00 pm ADT−1 day
2:00 am CST
3:00 pm ADT−1 day
3:00 am CST
4:00 pm ADT−1 day
4:00 am CST
5:00 pm ADT−1 day
5:00 am CST
6:00 pm ADT−1 day
6:00 am CST
7:00 pm ADT−1 day
7:00 am CST
8:00 pm ADT−1 day
8:00 am CST
9:00 pm ADT−1 day
9:00 am CST
10:00 pm ADT−1 day
10:00 am CST
11:00 pm ADT−1 day
11:00 am CST
12:00 am ADT
12:00 pm CST
1:00 am ADT
1:00 pm CST
2:00 am ADT
2:00 pm CST
3:00 am ADT
3:00 pm CST
4:00 am ADT
4:00 pm CST
5:00 am ADT
5:00 pm CST
6:00 am ADT
6:00 pm CST
7:00 am ADT
7:00 pm CST
8:00 am ADT
8:00 pm CST
9:00 am ADT
9:00 pm CST
10:00 am ADT
10:00 pm CST
11:00 am ADT
11:00 pm CST
12:00 pm ADT

Scheduling between the two

There is no overlap between a nine-to-six working day in Beijing and one in Halifax — the gap is too wide. A call has to sit early or late for one side. Early morning in Beijing is the usual compromise, since that is late afternoon or evening in Halifax.

A note on CST (China): it can also mean the abbreviation CST is shared with US Central Time and Cuba Standard Time.

A note on AST: it can also mean Arabia Standard Time (UTC+3). This page means Atlantic Time.

China Standard Time (CST) is used in the whole of China, which runs on one offset from Kashgar to Shanghai

Atlantic Time (ADT) is used in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Puerto Rico

Other conversions