Cooperate when stopped or taken away by police — don’t push, hit, or grab their body cameras; especially if you’ve been drinking, stay calm.

17. Cooperate when stopped or taken away by police — don’t push, hit, or grab their body cameras; especially if you’ve been drinking, stay calm.

Cost: No cost at all. Simply refrain from any actions on the spot. If you have complaints, you can raise them later — file a complaint, apply for administrative reconsideration, or even sue in court. The hard part is keeping your temper in check during those few minutes of being stopped, particularly when you’re under the influence of alcohol.

In plain terms: Simply refusing to comply with police orders can result in a warning or a fine of up to 500 yuan; more serious cases may lead to detention for 5 to 10 days. Using physical force against officers falls into a separate category: biting, slapping, kicking, tackling, or throwing objects that cause even minor injuries is classified as violent assault on police, punishable by up to 3 years in prison. If weapons, controlled knives, or a vehicle are used, the sentence rises to 3 to 7 years. Simple acts like pulling away or resisting lightly do not count as violence.

Benefit: Refusing to comply with lawful police orders carries a warning or a fine of up to 500 yuan; repeat or more serious offenses can bring detention for 5 to 10 days plus an additional fine of up to 1,000 yuan. When the officers involved are regular police, penalties become stricter. Committing violent acts against officers performing their duties is punishable by up to 3 years in prison; using weapons, knives, or a vehicle to endanger their safety can lead to 3 to 7 years behind bars. Only actions that result in actual physical harm — such as biting, slapping, kicking, tackling, or throwing objects — qualify as “violent assault.” Merely trying to pull away or resisting lightly does not meet this threshold (applies nationwide).

Evidence grade: A

Sources: National People's Congress Standing Committee (2025). Public Security Administration Punishment Law (Revised in 2025, Article 61). <https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202506/t20250627_699863.shtml>; National People's Congress Standing Committee (2020). Criminal Law Amendment (11) (Article 31, Paragraph 5 of Article 277 of the Criminal Law). <https://www.spp.gov.cn/zdgz/202012/t20201227_503682.shtml>; National People’s Congress (2020). Criminal Law (Amended in accordance with the Criminal Law Amendment (Eleven), Article 277). <https://jtgl.beijing.gov.cn/jgj/jgxx/flfg/fl/11033925/index.html>; Supreme People's Court of China, Supreme People's Procuratorate of China (2025). Interpretation of Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in Handling Criminal Cases of Assault on Police (Gao Ji Fa Shi Zi [2025] No. 1, Articles 1, 8, and 12). <https://www.spp.gov.cn/xwfbh/wsfbt/202501/t20250116_679579.shtml>; Supreme People's Procuratorate of China (2021). The crime of assaulting a police officer was sentenced to one month in prison, and the procuratorate approved the arrest of 405 people. <https://www.spp.gov.cn/xwfbh/wsfbh/202105/t20210517_518308.shtml>

Notes: According to a 2021 report by China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate, in the first month after laws specifically criminalizing assaults on police took effect, 405 arrests were approved. In Jiangsu Province, 47.6% of 42 reported cases involved individuals acting out while intoxicated. In Hubei Province, 12 out of 16 cases involved only minor physical contact such as punching, slapping, or biting. Attacking auxiliary police officers is also treated under the crime of obstructing official duties. No official case examples detailing individual circumstances were found for this specific provision.