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Convert China Standard Time to West Africa Time

Instantly convert China Standard Time (CST) to West Africa Time (WAT) with our free online calculator.

Reviewed by Christopher FloiedUpdated

China Standard Time

01:20:57 PM

Wed, Jun 24 (CST)

West Africa Time

06:20:57 AM

Wed, Jun 24 (WAT)

WAT is -7 hours from CST

Convert a Specific Time

CST

24-Hour Comparison

CSTWAT
12:00 AM5:00 PM(-1d)
1:00 AM6:00 PM(-1d)
2:00 AM7:00 PM(-1d)
3:00 AM8:00 PM(-1d)
4:00 AM9:00 PM(-1d)
5:00 AM10:00 PM(-1d)
6:00 AM11:00 PM(-1d)
7:00 AM12:00 AM
8:00 AM1:00 AM
9:00 AM2:00 AM
10:00 AM3:00 AM
11:00 AM4:00 AM
12:00 PM5:00 AM
1:00 PM6:00 AM
2:00 PM7:00 AM
3:00 PM8:00 AM
4:00 PM9:00 AM
5:00 PM10:00 AM
6:00 PM11:00 AM
7:00 PM12:00 PM
8:00 PM1:00 PM
9:00 PM2:00 PM
10:00 PM3:00 PM
11:00 PM4:00 PM

How to Convert China Standard Time to West Africa Time

Formula

To convert China Standard Time (CST) to West Africa Time (WAT): Convert CST to WAT

About China Standard Time (CST)

China Standard Time (CST, IANA: Asia/Shanghai) is the unified civil time of the People's Republic of China, set at UTC+8:00 year-round (no DST). Despite China's vast east-west extent (~5,200 km from Xinjiang's western border at 73°E to Heilongjiang's eastern border at 135°E — 62° of longitude or ~4 hours of solar time), the entire country uses a single time zone since 1949 (consolidated from 5 separate zones used during the Republic of China era). This means Kashgar Xinjiang sees solar noon at approximately 14:00 CST in summer, while Shanghai sees solar noon at approximately 11:50 CST — a stark practical discrepancy. Hong Kong Time (HKT) and Macau Time (MOT) are identical at UTC+8 but use different IANA identifiers for historical reasons. CST serves approximately 1.42 billion people. CST is identical in offset to Singapore Time (SGT), Malaysia Time (MYT), Philippine Time (PHT), Australian Western Standard Time (AWST), Hong Kong Time (HKT). Major CST cities: Shanghai (24M), Beijing (21.5M), Chongqing (32M), Guangzhou (15M), Shenzhen (12.5M), Chengdu (16.3M), Tianjin (13.7M), Wuhan (11M), Xi'an (13M), Hangzhou (11.9M). Affects: SSE + SZSE stock exchanges, Beijing Central Government working hours.

About West Africa Time (WAT)

West Africa Time (WAT, IANA: Africa/Lagos, Africa/Kinshasa) is the civil time for West African and Central African countries, set at UTC+1:00 year-round (no DST). WAT serves approximately 350 million people across: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, DR Congo (western half), Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tunisia. WAT is the same offset as Central European Time (CET) in winter, easing African business coordination with Western European partners. Major WAT cities: Lagos Nigeria (15M metro — the largest city in Africa and home to one of the world's fastest-growing populations), Kinshasa DRC (17M metro), Algiers (3.7M metro), Tunis (2.4M metro), Yaoundé (2.8M), Douala (2.7M), Brazzaville (1.8M), Luanda (8M metro), N'Djamena (1.4M). The eastern half of the DRC uses Central Africa Time (CAT = UTC+2). Affects: Nollywood film-industry production in Lagos, African Union meetings, Lagos NGX (Nigerian Exchange Group) trading hours, and Lagos-São Paulo + Lagos-Buenos Aires Atlantic-shipping schedules.

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