I've been offset 10 right and then been told by the following controller to offset 5 left after we crossed the FIR. That happens a fair bit on the way from Pudong to Tianjin. They specify a rate of decent, usually 2500 fpm for us. You'll end up way below profile with that one, then they'll hold you high during the approach. Basically, they are very bad at what they do.

My favorite radio transmission was from an Air China expat who was told to slow to 250 kts and descend at 2500 fpm; his answer was a rather abrupt "pick one!". I enjoyed that.