China's southern province of Hainan has launched a pilot program called Global Connect, which allows some corporate users to access the global internet, bypassing the restrictions of the "Great Firewall." As part of the decision, the government plans to turn Hainan into a global free trade port, the South China Morning Post reported.
The Global Connect service for mobile devices is administered by the Hainan International Comprehensive Data Service Center (HIDCSC). Employees of companies registered and operating in Hainan will be able to connect to it. Users gain access to sites that are usually blocked in China, including Google and Wikipedia. To apply, a company employee must be on a 5G tariff from one of the three state-owned operators (China Mobile, China Unicom or China Telecom), and their employer must provide a Unified Social Credit Code for verification. Obtaining a permit can take up to five months, HIDCSC officials say.
Once approved, subscribers will receive free access to the global internet, a HIDCSC representative said. Available platforms include YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok, but some sites will remain blocked, although HIDCSC did not specify which ones.
All companies registered in Hainan, regardless of size or industry, are eligible to apply. HIDCSC also offers similar services to corporations, including large international and local enterprises targeting overseas markets. Previously, only selected companies were granted such access with special permission, while private users were forced to use VPN services, which are officially banned in China, except for state-owned corporate solutions.
China maintains strict control over the internet, citing the need to prevent the spread of "illegal or dangerous information." And while there have been previous rumors of the possibility of lifting the Great Firewall in other Chinese free trade zones, the launch of a similar service in Hainan is the first such case.