Getting online in China: the firewall and VPN rules

Short answer: the internet in Shanghai is fast, cheap and walled. Plan for that before you land, not after.

The short version

China filters the international internet. Google and Facebook are out of reach on a normal connection, and Freedom House marks social media and websites as blocked in China [4][5].
The rules say international connections must go through government-approved channels. Unapproved VPN services are not authorised, and people have been fined [1][2][3].
Companies can lease approved cross-border lines from licensed Chinese carriers, but only for internal office use [1][2].
Set up myGov, your bank apps and family contact on WeChat before you fly. The myGov app, passkeys and Digital ID work overseas without SMS codes [7].
Travel advice for China is "exercise a high degree of caution" overall, and local law applies to you exactly as it does to locals [6].

What doesn't load, and what you use instead

Back home you never think about which country a website lives in. In Shanghai you will, every day. The national filtering system, usually called the Great Firewall, blocks thousands of domains, according to Freedom House's 2025 report [5]. It names no full list, and nobody publishes one, so what works can change without notice.

Here's what Australians usually notice in the first week.

What you use in Australia	Status on a normal Chinese connection	What people in Shanghai use
Google search, Gmail, Maps, YouTube	Not reachable [4]	Baidu or Bing for search, Amap (Gaode) for maps
Facebook, Instagram, X	Social media blocked [4][5]	WeChat Moments, Xiaohongshu (RedNote), Weibo
WhatsApp, Messenger	Generally unavailable	WeChat for almost everything
Australian news sites	Some foreign news sites don't load; it varies and changes	Check from a roaming connection or wait till you travel
Australian bank and myGov sites	Often reachable but can be slow or patchy	Set up apps and sign-in methods before you leave [7]
Work tools: email, video calls, cloud storage	Varies by service, and can change	Use what your employer specifies

The surprise for many people isn't what's blocked outright. It's the slowness. Plenty of foreign sites technically load but take 30 seconds, or load without the images and fonts that sit on blocked Google servers. Budget extra patience for anything hosted overseas.

The legal position on VPNs, in plain words

There's a lot of folklore about VPNs in China. Here's what the official texts actually say.

The rules

International connections must use official channels. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) says individuals and organisations may connect to international networks only through channels provided by the government [3].
The 2017 MIIT notice. On 17 January 2017, MIIT issued a notice on "cleaning up" the internet access market. It says that without approval from the telecommunications authorities, dedicated lines, including VPNs, "must not be created or hired on one's own to conduct cross-border business activities" [1].
Only licensed providers. Legal cross-border connections come from basic telecommunications operators that hold international gateway rights. A legal analysis on Law.asia concludes that VPN services from other domestic or overseas providers aren't authorised [2].

How it's enforced

Enforcement has mostly targeted people who sell or run unauthorised services, and companies. A few individual cases have been made public. In late 2018, a man in Shaoguan, Guangdong, received a warning and a RMB 1,000 fine for setting up an unauthorised VPN connection to reach overseas websites. Police relied on Articles 6 and 14 of the provisional regulations on international networking [3]. In May 2019, a company was fined for using unauthorised "proxy software" to reach overseas sites [2].

What this means for you: using an unapproved VPN isn't a protected right, and "everyone does it" isn't a defence. Freedom House also records that people have been cut off from the internet and prosecuted over their online activity, so what you post matters as much as how you connect [5]. We don't recommend VPN products, and we'd suggest you don't rely on any guide that does. If your job depends on international access, make it your employer's problem to solve through an approved line.

Where the rules may be heading

In January 2025, the South China Morning Post reported that Shanghai was considering letting businesses in certain areas reach overseas websites directly. A policy document spoke of supporting enterprises in the Hongqiao business district to "access the international internet", and Lingang New Area was also mentioned [4]. That was a proposal for businesses in specific zones, not a change for residents. Treat any claim that "Shanghai has opened up" with care until you see the official notice.

Roaming, local SIMs and corporate lines

How you connect changes what you can reach and what you pay.

Option	What it is	Good for	Watch out for
Australian SIM on roaming	Your Aussie number, with data handled by your Australian carrier abroad	First days, short trips, receiving SMS codes [8]	Day-pass costs add up fast over months
Travel eSIM bought before arrival	Data-only plan from an overseas provider	Short visits	Not a Chinese number, so many local apps won't fully work
Chinese SIM	China Mobile, China Unicom or China Telecom, registered to your passport [9]	Living here: WeChat, Alipay, deliveries, banks	Same filtering as any Chinese connection
Home broadband	Fibre from the same three carriers	Fast, cheap domestic internet	Overseas sites can be slow
Corporate cross-border line	Approved line leased by your employer from a licensed carrier	Work systems, email, video calls	Internal office use only [1][2]

Roaming data is handled by your home carrier, which is why short-term visitors often find more of the international web reachable that way. It's not a long-term plan. It's expensive over months, and you'll still need a Chinese number for daily life. See our guide to a Chinese phone number in Keep reading.

Corporate connections

Big employers in Shanghai typically lease an approved cross-border line through a licensed carrier. Under the 2017 notice, the carrier must keep a user archive and tell customers that the line is limited to internal office use, and it must not be used to connect to data centres or run telecom services [1]. Some carriers also bar public IP addresses and subleasing [2].

In practice that means your work laptop may reach Google, Slack or your company's Australian systems, while your personal phone on home wi-fi won't. Don't share the work connection with housemates or use it for streaming the cricket. That's outside its terms and could put your employer in a tricky spot.

Keeping myGov and Australian banking working

This is where Aussies get burnt: a forgotten password, an SMS code to a number you didn't bring, and suddenly you can't lodge a tax return or move money.

myGov

myGov says you don't need to change anything before going overseas if you sign in with the myGov app, a passkey, Digital ID or secret questions [7]. If you use SMS codes, the code goes to the Australian number registered on your account, so you need that number active with international roaming on [8]. If you can't get codes and have no other sign-in method, you may have to create a new account and link your services again [7]. That's a headache from Shanghai.

Banks and super

Australian bank apps and websites often work from China, but not always quickly, and some security checks rely on SMS. Before you leave:

Switch to app-based or passkey sign-in wherever your bank and super fund allow it.
Keep your Australian number active. Many verification codes still go by SMS.
Download every app you need from the Australian app store while you're still home, and update them.
Save offline copies of key documents: passport, visa, tax file number letter, insurance policy.
Set up WeChat for family in Australia, so they can reach you on day one.
Test everything from your Shanghai apartment in week one, not the night before a deadline.

Safety, scams and what to keep in mind

The consulate won't cold-call you. Scammers have impersonated the Australian Embassy's phone numbers in China. The consulate says it "will never ask for your personal information unprompted" [6].
Who to call. The Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai is at Level 22, CITIC Square, 1168 Nanjing West Road, phone +86 21 2215 5200. In an emergency, call the Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 [6].
Subscribe to alerts. Smartraveller no longer takes registrations, but you can subscribe to updates for China [6].
Real-name everything. Chinese platforms require identity verification to post, and national online ID verification rules took force in July 2025 [5]. Assume what you post is linked to you.
Carriers keep records. If something goes wrong with your service, the carrier hotlines in Shanghai are 021-10086 (China Mobile), 021-10010 (China Unicom) and 021-10000 (China Telecom) [9].

Swapping notes on which Australian sites load this week is a constant topic in Cooee China, our Facebook group for Australians in China (join here).

Getting online in China: the Great Firewall, VPNs and what the law says