The 14-times grand slam winner won his first-round match in Beijing 6-4, 6-0, overcoming sporadic resistance in the first set before crushing his 22nd-ranked opponent in the second.
There were glimpses of vintage Nadal during the second set demolition, with the Spaniard appearing to be back to his athletic best after being sidelined since Wimbledon with a right wrist injury picked up in training.
"It's not hundred per cent, but let's say 90-something-per cent," said Nadal, when asked how his wrist felt during the match.
"I have to be happy the way I played. Three months without a match and winning against someone like Gasquet is a very positive comeback for me.”
Nadal joins top seed Novak Djokovic in the second round after the reigning champion defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-2, 6-1 in just 63 minutes.
Andy Murray also made it through after a tense match, defeating Jerzy Janowicz of Poland 6-7 (9/11), 6-4, 6-2.
In the women's tournament, world number one Serena Williams eased into the third round with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova.
Meanwhile, Serena's sister Venus gained revenge over Caroline Garcia after the 20-year-old won their first round match at the Wuhan Open last week, beating the French rising star 6-4, 6-3 in Beijing.
Maria Sharapova swept aside Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-2, while fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska has now failed to get past the second round in her last two tournaments in China, losing to Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-4, 6-4 in Beijing.
Eighth seed Canadian Eugenie Bouchard also crashed out of the tournament, losing to Germany's Sabine Lisicki 6-2, 6-4.
But there was no upset for second seed Romanian Simona Halep, who defeated home-crowd favourite Zhu Lin 7-5, 6-4.
Wawrinka rolled by Japanese outsider
Tatsuma Ito followed the winning example of compatriot Kei Nishikori as the number 103-ranked local dumped top seed Stan Wawrinka out 7-5, 6-2 in the first round of the Japan Open yesterdy.
Another seed followed Wawrinka to the exits, as ailing French number five Jo-Wilfried Tsonga lost to Poland's Michel Przysiezny 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (11-9) after nearly two and a half hours.
Third seed Milos Raonic, finalist at the last two editions, had no trouble as he fired 22 aces – the last on match point – to defeat Australian Bernard Tomic 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.
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