FLC OF A WDB TAXIED INTO POS AND HOLD AT THE SHANGHAI ARPT AFTER HOLDING SHORT OF THE RWY AND BELIEVING THAT THE TWR HAD CLRED THEM TO DO SO. HOWEVER; THE TWR WAS ACTUALLY SAYING TO HOLD IN POS SHORT OF THE RWY. ANOTHER TWR CTLR VOICE ASKED THEM WHY THEY HAD TAXIED INTO POS AND THEN CLRED THEM FOR TKOF.

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THE CAPT TAXIED IN SEQUENCE THROUGH SEVERAL DEPS AND STOPPED AT THE HOLD LINE FOR RWY 36; SETTING THE PARKING BRAKE. AFTER THE DEP OF ONE INTL ACR AND THE ARR OF ANOTHER; WE RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING CLRNC: 'POS AAHH HOLD; RWY 36' (NOT A CLR 'AND'). I RESPONDED 'UNDERSTAND CLRED INTO POS AND HOLD RWY 36.' THE CAPT AND I LOOKED AT EACH OTHER EXCHANGING EYE CONTACT DURING MY REPLY. WE BOTH CLEARLY HEARD HER XMISSION AND MY RESPONSE. THERE WAS NO REPLY FROM THE TWR. THE CAPT CHKED FINAL (NOBODY VISIBLE); THEN TAXIED INTO POS ON RWY 36. AFTER HEARING A COUPLE OF RADIO EXCHANGES IN CHINESE; A MALE CTLR SAID 'WHY YOU ON RWY?' I REPLIED 'WE WERE CLRED INTO POS AND HOLD RWY 36.' HE SAID 'YOU WERE TO HOLD SHORT.' WE WERE THEN GIVEN CLRNC FOR TKOF; AND THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT TO BEIJING WAS THANKFULLY UNEVENTFUL. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: THERE IS NO NEED TO GIVE A 'HOLD SHORT/HOLD POS/POS HOLD' CLRNC TO AN ACFT THAT IS HOLDING SHORT ALREADY; AND HAS HELD SHORT THROUGH A DEP AND ARR. LITTLE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS: ALL XMISSIONS TO OTHER ACFT IN CHINESE. CLRNC FOR 'POS AAHH HOLD' CAME IN THE INTUITIVELY CORRECT SEQUENCE FOR 'POS AND HOLD.' NO CTLR CORRECTION UPON MY READBACK; NOR UPON VISUAL WITH OUR ACFT TAXIING INTO POS. NON-ICAO STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY AND TERMINOLOGY USED BY CTLR. POOR VISIBILITY (2000 METERS WITH HAZE); COULDN'T SEE LONG FINAL. NON FACTORS: NONE OF THE 'CLASSIC' INCIDENT/ACCIDENT FACTORS EXISTED IN THE COCKPIT: IE; RUSHING; CONFUSION; COCKPIT TENSION; PREOCCUPATION. THE CAPT AND I WERE WELL RESTED; HAD AN EXCELLENT WORKING RELATIONSHIP; AND WERE BOTH KEENLY AWARE OF COM PROBS IN CHINA AND HAD BRIEFED THE SUBJECT PRIOR TO FLT.