Is the email server in China using the standard ports:

pop3: 110
smtp: 25

Is SSL required by the server/clients in China?

Have you run “tracert” to map out the hops?

You can use nmap to probe the ports on the host ip and see what ports are up.

Also, are you using a vpn?

Tshoot would involve the following:
1) Have you sent any emails from any external gmail/hotmail/yahoo account to the same address ?
Do they bounce ? If so then the problem is not your end.

2)If only your Work network systems are unable to send emails to the address then, you need to understand whether they are the only emails that get bounced. If other addresses also bounce then its a configuration problem.

3)Your firewall or Router is not sending emails to that address. Try disabling them or go into the DMZ area and send mails and see if that works.

4) Turn off your AntiVirus s/w and try sending mails.
5) Send a simple test mail without attachements.
6) Download a simple textmail program and see if that sends an email to that address.

If after this they still bounce then their server is not set correctly or their spam filter has you covered.

are we talking about email eminating from your site or from the china site? Email timeouts are usually because of anti-virus/spam software. have you tried a ‘hello’ to the mail server in china?

In your email software i.e. outlook what have you got the timeout set at? maybe increasing the delay before timeout may help.

Just because you can ping the server doesn’t mean that email will be ok. lookup what a ping is and what a smtp session is..