A Shift in Tactics
Leaked official documents and accounts from industry insiders indicate that regulators are now targeting the infrastructure supporting cross-border internet access. Data center providers have been instructed to block connections to overseas networks, while police and telecom operators have stepped up enforcement, including monitoring VPN use on university campuses.Some analysts say the campaign marks a shift from earlier, more fragmented enforcement to a centralized effort spanning multiple layers of the telecommunications system.
Tseng Min-chen, a policy analyst at Taiwan’s Institute of National Defense and Security Research, wrote in an article, published by the institute, that China’s internet control operation is driven by the regime’s growing concern about information flows amid economic strain and rising social pressure.
Several China-based insiders spoke to The Epoch Times on the matter on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal.
A netizen in Suzhou, a major city in Jiangsu Province near Shanghai, told The Epoch Times that while it is still possible to access blocked websites via VPNs, the experience has become unreliable. He recently found that a new Samsung phone could no longer run VPN software as it had before, and browsers failed to load even after a connection appeared successful.
The netizen noted that the effects are particularly pronounced in other major cities, such as Shanghai, where many companies rely on international internet access for daily operations.
“Businesses that depend on foreign platforms are being hit hardest,” the netizen said.
A source familiar with the industry told The Epoch Times that China’s institutions and corporations can apply for authorized connections through telecom providers, often under close monitoring. But for ordinary citizens, the source said, access has typically relied on privately run networks that sell connections via overseas servers.
The Chinese regime is targeting VPN networks used by ordinary users. Gan Wenwei, a former software entrepreneur now based in the Netherlands, told The Epoch Times on April 22 that many servers used by his contacts in China had recently been shut down.
In the past, the regime relied heavily on technical filtering. Now, he said, they are physically disconnecting servers at data centers—sometimes multiple times a day—suggesting the use of manual enforcement teams.
“This looks like outsourced labor working in shifts,” Gan said. “They cut connections during peak hours, then repeat the process every day.”
The shift comes as the technical landscape has evolved. In recent years, many VPN providers have improved performance by routing traffic through domestic telecom data centers before sending it abroad, resulting in faster, more stable connections, according to Gan. Now, he said, the regime’s censors are blocking these pathways, forcing traffic onto slower public routes that are easier to restrict.
The tightening controls are also raising economic concerns. Gan said some businesses are turning to more expensive and complex solutions, such as dedicated international lines or foreign SIM cards purchased in Hong Kong or Southeast Asia.
Political Signals and Policy Contradictions
China’s Ministry of National Defense has warned on Chinese social media that bypassing internet controls is illegal, yet the regime’s official institutions continue to maintain a presence on global platforms such as X, which remain inaccessible to most people inside China.Tseng said the clampdown reflects deeper insecurities within the Chinese Communist Party regarding the free flow of information, particularly amid slowing economic growth and rising social tensions in China.
By restricting access to external information, Tseng said, the regime may be attempting to create an “information deprivation environment” ahead of potential social and political instability.
