The order is the latest blow to the American self-driving car pioneer, which is hugely popular in China although the firm's reputation has taken a hit this year following a spate of crashes, scandals and data security concerns.
China's State Administration for Market Regulation said the defects could affect the vehicles' backup cameras or cause the hoods to open suddenly while driving.
The move covers three batches of cars produced between 2015 and 2020.
Elon Musk's electric vehicle company will inspect the cars for free and fix the issues, the regulator said in a statement.
The recall includes around 19,700 Model S cars that could have latch problems with the front hood and about 180,000 Model 3 vehicles.
In the Model 3 cars, repeated opening and closing of the trunk may damage a cable for the rearview camera.
"This will affect the driver's vision when reversing, and in extreme cases will increase the risk of collision," the regulator said.
The Chinese notice came hours after US authorities said Tesla was recalling almost 500,000 vehicles in the country due to similar problems.
Tesla estimated that just one percent of the recalled Model 3 vehicles contain the problem, and the company knew of no related crash or injury, according to the US safety regulator.
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