China is currently in a critical period of accelerating the elimination of cervical cancer, and scaling up screening coverage with high-quality methods is one of the main approaches to achieve this goal. World Health Organization (WHO) recommended human papillomavirus (HPV) nucleic acid testing as the preferred primary screening method of cervical cancer. However, no guidelines exist for its use in cervical cancer screening in China. Therefore, Branch of Cancer Prevention and Control, Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, Chinese Obstetrics and Gynecology Association Colposcopy and Cervical Neoplasia Committee, Chinese Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology of China Health Birth Science Association, Beijing Medical Doctor (Technician) Society of Laboratory Medicine, and the editorial board of the National Medical Journal of China convened more than 50 domestic experts from multiple disciplines, including public health, obstetrics and gynecology, laboratory medicine, and pathology, to form a consensus based on domestic and international guidelines, medical evidence, and China’s actual situation. These experts recommend HPV nucleic acid testing as the primary method for cervical cancer screening in China, and provide scientific suggestions on the pre-implementation assessment and preparation, specific applications and target populations, laboratory operating procedures, and post-implementation monitoring and assessment for the cervical cancer screening. These recommendations aim to promote a comprehensive, in-depth, standardized, orderly and high-quality development of HPV nucleic acid testing in China, for providing strong support for accelerating cervical cancer elimination in China.