What is the ruling on eating meat in restaurants run by People of the Book in China, bearing in mind that the slaughter may be mechanical or performed by non-Muslims or People of the Book?

The fundamental principle concerning slaughtered animals is that they are forbidden until their permissibility is known, by verifying that they were slaughtered according to Islamic law, which involves cutting the windpipe and the jugular veins, and that the one who performed the slaughter is either a Muslim or from the People of the Book. Whatever meets these conditions is permissible to consume; otherwise, it is not. If it is highly probable that the method of slaughter is not lawful, then caution dictates refraining from eating it. In countries where the un-lawfulness of the slaughter or the fact that the slaughterer is neither Muslim nor from the People of the Book is prevalent, it is obligatory to investigate and inquire about the religion of the slaughterer and the method of slaughter. There is ample choice in foods that do not require slaughtering, such as fish and what the earth produces.