Algol:
I guess the lesson for flying into China is - carry LOTS of fuel
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Indeed!
Also agree about JFK ATC. Sharp guys doing a difficult job, yes. On the other hand, some of them need to cut some slack for the occasional visitor to God's own country;(yes, I know, this subject has been covered ad nauseam on previous threads).
However, you only have to listen to some of our good ol' USA brethren operating in overseas ATC environments to realise that a little hubris might be in order (i.e "foreign" ATC are usually a lot more accommodating and can be a lot less condescending!).
I'm sure a great contributor to runway incursion incidents over there is the failure to seek clarification of taxi instructions due to the fear of getting a good telling off, or even worse, barbed sarcasm....