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Censorship in China
TechPolicy

China’s Hainan offers global internet access to some to boost free-trade port ambitions

Employees of companies operating in the island province can apply for the ‘Global Connect’ scheme, but some content will remain restricted

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China’s so-called Great Firewall enforces one of the strictest internet censorship regimes in the world. Photo: Shutterstock
Ben Jiangin Beijing

China’s southernmost province of Hainan is piloting a programme to grant select corporate users broad access to the global internet, a rare move in a country known for having some of the world’s most restrictive online censorship, as the island seeks to transform itself into a global free-trade port.

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Employees of companies registered and operating in Hainan can apply for the “Global Connect” mobile service through the Hainan International Data Comprehensive Service Centre (HIDCSC), according to the agency, which is overseen by the state-run Hainan Big Data Development Centre.

The programme allows eligible users to bypass the so-called Great Firewall, which blocks access to many of the world’s most-visited websites, such as Google and Wikipedia.
Applicants must be on a 5G plan with one of the country’s three major state-backed carriers – China Mobile, China Unicom or China Telecom – and submit their employer’s information, including the company’s Unified Social Credit Code, for approval. The process can take up to five months, HIDCSC staff said.

Once approved, users will gain access to the global internet at no additional cost, according to an HIDCSC representative, who declined to be named because the person was not authorised to speak to news media.

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How China censors the internet

How China censors the internet

There are currently no restrictions on company size or business scope, and the service has attracted significant business interest, the person said.

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