China's pilot project: Selective opening of the Great Firewall in Hainan

Global Connect starts: China opens loophole in the digital wall for the first time

In June 2025, China started an interesting pilot program in the southernmost province of Hainan, which enables direct access to the global internet for the first time and deals with the notorious Great Firewall. This program, known as the “Global Connect”, represents a significant departure from China's decades of politics of comprehensive Internet shore and is part of the ambitious plans to transform Hainan into a global free trade port by 2035. The program grants access to usually blocked platforms such as Google, YouTube, Wikipedia and X (formerly Twitter), while it also maintains strict state control over the user selection and the approval process.

Background: The Great Firewall as an instrument of digital control

Creation and development of the Chinese census apparatus

The Great Firewall of China (GfW) represents one of the most sophisticated and most comprehensive internet streak in the world. Developed since the end of the 1990s, the system is based on a combination of legal measures and technological infrastructures that aim to comprehensively control internet traffic within China. The national infrastructure project for network security, known as the Golden Shield Project, was first started at the end of the 1990s and culminated into the system known as Great Firewall today.

The Chinese model of state internet control gradually developed from an originally defensive approach to “keep poor content away”, into a sophisticated system of legal, technical and operational apparatus used by the government for total control. The aim of this system is to perfect a censorship apparatus functioning almost in real time, which penetrates all platforms and channels to spread propaganda and false information and to collect huge amounts of data.

Technical functioning and blocking methods

The Great Firewall mainly operates at three large internet hubs in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and uses various blocking methods. The system checks TCP packages for keywords or sensitive terms, whereby the access is closed when a hit. Technical methods include IP area blocks, DNS spoofing and transmission, URL filtering via transparent proxies, quality-of-service filtering and package fake with TCP reset attacks.

The Deep Packet Inspection, which has been implemented since 2012, is particularly remarkable, which enables the GFW to “learn, filter and block” users based on their traffic behavior. This method was originally developed to block VPNS and has now become a standard component of the filter system. A study carried out in 2020 showed that the Great Firewall blocks around 311,000 domains.

The Global Connect program: technical details and implementation

Program structure and administration

The Global Connect program is managed via the Hainan International Data Comprehensive Service Center (HIDCSC), which is subject to the state Hainan Big Data Development Center. This pilot program is a remarkable exception to China's usually strict internet control and enables qualified business users free access to normally blocked international websites.

The authorization for the program is strictly regulated: only employees of companies registered in Hainan and are active there can apply. Applicants must have a 5G tariff for one of the three major state mobile operators-China Mobile, China Unicom or China Telecom-and submit the information from the company, including the Unified Social Credit Code, for approval.

Approval procedures and access restrictions

The approval process for Global Connect is time-consuming and can take up to five months, reported HIDCSC employees. This long processing time reflects the careful review that the Chinese authorities carry out when granting uncensored Internet access. Despite these strict controls, there are currently no restrictions on the size of the company or the business area.

As soon as the approval has been granted, users receive free access to the global internet. The accessible platforms include YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Google, Wikipedia and Tiktok. However, some websites remain closed, with HIDCSC representatives not specified which content is still limited.

Technical implementation and infrastructure

The Global Connect System enables justified users to bypass the Great Firewall without having to use VPNs that are illegal in China without government permit. This technical solution represents a remarkable innovation because it enables the firewall to be selected, while the general censorship infrastructure remains intact.

The implementation takes place via a mobile service that is integrated into the existing 5G infrastructure of the state telecommunications providers. This indicates close cooperation between the local authorities in Hainan and the national telecommunications companies in order to realize this technical solution.

Strategic context: Hainan's transformation to the free trade port

Economic development goals and time frames

The Global Connect program is inextricably linked to China's ambitious plans to transform Hainan into a global free trade port. This transformation was first announced by President XI Jinping in 2018, with Beijing presenting more detailed plans in June 2020. The 35,000 square kilometer island is to become a “free trade port” and duty-free shopping mecca by 2035, through measures such as lower income taxes and loosened visa regulations.

The time frame for this transformation is ambitious: the framework for the free trade port is to be completed by 2025 and fully implemented by 2035, including the introduction of independent customs operations by the end of 2025. These goals require a significant liberalization of digital infrastructure to attract international companies and to facilitate trade.

International data flows and digital connectivity

Hainan strives for the status of an international data center, as a local civil servant announced at China's annual political meetings. The province is looking for support for a pilot program for development for an international center for cross -border data flows. The pilot program would include the establishment of an international data exchange and a trading platform for digital products, such as data services for game companies that aim at foreign markets.

These efforts show how the selective opening of the Great Firewall fits in a larger strategic framework for digital liberalization. While the authorities demand more loosely restrictions on capital and data flows, Hainan officials emphasized that data flows should be “safe” and “neat” and that data security risk control measures should be implemented.

Economic successes and investment incentives

Hainan's progress in economic liberalization is impressive. According to provincial governor Liu Xiaoming, Hainan's trade volume has grew up for goods and services in the past six years with an average annual rate of 22.2 percent and 20.2 percent, while the actual use of foreign investments with an average annual rate of 46 percent grew. These numbers underline the economic dynamics that was generated by the gradual liberalization.

AI & XR 3D Rendering Machine: Fivefold expertise from Xpert.Digital in a comprehensive service package, R&D XR, PR & SEM - Image: Xpert.Digital

Xpert.Digital has in-depth knowledge of various industries. This allows us to develop tailor-made strategies that are tailored precisely to the requirements and challenges of your specific market segment. By continually analyzing market trends and following industry developments, we can act with foresight and offer innovative solutions. Through the combination of experience and knowledge, we generate added value and give our customers a decisive competitive advantage.

More about it here:

• Use the 5x expertise of Xpert.Digital in one package - starting at just €500/month

Historical precedents and international hotels systems

Existing bypassing mechanisms

Interestingly, there are already certain mechanisms for the partial bypass of Great Firewall, especially in international hotels. The Great Firewall is already partly bypassed nationwide in WLAN networks of international hotels by establishing virtual private networks (VPNS). It is unclear whether there are official regulations or whether payments flow to local authorities.

In addition, some ESIMs also bypass the Great Firewall for foreign travelers such as Airalo available for China. ESIM enables access to the mobile phone roaming system, in which there are traditionally no firewalls. These existing exceptions show that the Chinese system already has certain flexibility in order to meet economic and tourist needs.

Earlier announcements and failed initiatives

The current pilot program in Hainan is not the first attempt to loosen the Internet restrictions in the province. As early as 2018, the Chinese government flirted with the loosening of its strict internet rules for Hainan to attract foreign tourists. At that time it was announced that Hainan could get access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube as part of his transformation into a free trade zone.

However, these promises never materialized, and China adhered to his restrictive policies. Shanghai has been an established free trade zone since 2013, and internet and social media censorship has not subsided there, which does not create a very good precedent for Hainan. The original plan was apparently removed from the government website within 24 hours, which questioned a social networking extension.

Social reactions and user perspectives

Settings for internet gear in China

The reactions of the Chinese population to internet gear are complex and complex. An SRF report from 2020 shows the ambivalent attitude of many Chinese compared to Great Firewall. A passer -by on the streets of Shanghais explained: "I used to be on Google, but since it was blocked I haven't been going on. That is too tedious for me. Every country has certain restrictions, not just China. Freedom is not unlimited".

This statement reflects a widespread resignation or acceptance, which is partly promoted by successful propaganda and the presence of alternative Chinese services. Only about 20-30 million Chinese visit websites that are blocked in China, according to the US Niche Government Organization “Freedom House”-negligible compared to the over 800 million Internet users of China.

Bypass strategies and technical solutions

Despite the extensive censorship, various circumvention strategies have developed. A 25-year-old law student uses various apps that hide the fact that he visits websites such as CNN or Wikipedia. Interestingly, not only government critics use these technologies, but also government supporters such as “Xiao Li”, a self -described “Small Rosaroter Patriot” who uses the same apps to defend the Chinese nation on western platforms such as Facebook or Twitter.

This use of the bypass technologies by patriots shows the complex dynamics of the Chinese internet landscape. Xiao Li describes the censorship as "like a house wall that protects you" and argues: "Sometimes - like me - you go out of the house, but when you are always outside, you threaten to death or are attacked by wild animals".

Development of a bypass industry

In China, a subculture and even a small industry have developed that does nothing other than looking for holes in the bureaucratic defense screen. For payment, she offers help with the ditch of virtual tunnels through the Great Firewall and grants tutoring on how to encrypt emails. This development shows that despite the technical sophistication of the Great Firewall, paths are always found to avoid the restrictions.

Technical challenges and circumvention methods

Established bypass technologies

The existence of various technical solutions for the bypass of internet gear is well documented. VPNS represent one of the most common methods, whereby a VPN client establishes an encrypted connection to a VPN service provider that is ideally located in a country that is not subject to any internet. In the event of a connection structure, the ISP can observe a data flow in its own country, but due to the encryption it cannot determine which data is transmitted.

The Tor network offers an even more sophisticated solution for maximum privacy and anonymity. Tor is based on a distributed anonymization network with dynamic route selection via several stations, with the data packets being encrypted several times. Snowflake technology is particularly noteworthy, which enables people in repressive states to connect to the Tor network by providing users in other countries as proxies.

Easier bypass methods

Depending on the degree of censorship, simple techniques are often sufficient for bypass. DNS barriers can be avoided by stored free, uncensored DNS servers in the router or system. Translation services such as Google Translate or Yandex Translate enable complete websites to translate, whereby the call is made via the translation service and simple censorship techniques can be avoided.

Search engines such as metaries or starting page offer anonymous proxy functions that make it possible to open search results via veiled IP addresses. These methods show that even sophisticated censorship systems such as the Great Firewall can be challenged by creative technical solutions.

International implications and evaluation

Signal effect for other authoritarian regime

The Hainan pilot project sends important signals to both the international community and other authoritarian regimes. The selective opening shows that even the most restrictive Internet regime in the world is willing to provide economic necessities about ideological purity. This could encourage other countries with similar censorship systems to venture similar experiments.

At the same time, the strictly controlled and limited program demonstrates how authoritarian governments can try to use the advantages of global digital connectivity without losing their control over the information flows. The restriction to business users and the lengthy approval process show that the opening does not mean liberalization for the general population.

Economic necessities ideological control

The program illustrates the growing tensions between China's economic ambitions and its desire for ideological control. The need to attract international companies and promote global trade relationships is increasingly colliding with the extensive censorship system. The Hainan experiment can be seen as an attempt to solve these tensions by creating selective openings that support the economic goals without endangering the overarching control system.

However, the fact that the program is limited to a geographically limited region and has strict authorization criteria shows that the Chinese government is not willing to make fundamental changes to its internet policy. Rather, it is a calculated exception that serves specific economic goals.

Global Connect program shows China's pragmatic handling of digital censorship

The Global Connect Pilot Program in Hainan represents a remarkable, although limited fracture with China's decades of policies of comprehensive internet gage. For the first time since the implementation of the Great Firewall, the Chinese government officially and systematically selected users gives access to normally blocked international websites and platforms. However, this development is less to be understood as a sign of liberalization, but rather as a pragmatic adaptation to economic necessities in the context of Hainan's transformation to a global free trade port.

The strict control of the program - from the lengthy approval procedures to the restrictions on business users - shows that the Chinese government is not willing to give up its basic control over information flows. Instead, she tries to selectively use the advantages of global digital connectivity while maintaining her comprehensive censorship infrastructure. The Hainan experiment could serve as a model for other economically important regions, but initially remains a geographically and demographically limited exception of China's restrictive internet policy.

In the long term, the success of this program will depend on the extent to which Hainan's economic goals supports without endangering political stability and ideological control that the Chinese system considers so important. The international observation of this experiment will provide important insights into how authoritarian regimes deal with the growing tensions between economic globalization and digital sovereignty.

☑️ SME support in strategy, consulting, planning and implementation

☑️ Creation or realignment of the digital strategy and digitalization

☑️ Expansion and optimization of international sales processes

☑️ Global & Digital B2B trading platforms

☑️ Pioneer Business Development

Konrad Wolfenstein

I would be happy to serve as your personal advisor.

You can contact me by filling out the contact form below or simply call me on +49 89 89 674 804 (Munich) .

I'm looking forward to our joint project.

Xpert.Digital is a hub for industry with a focus on digitalization, mechanical engineering, logistics/intralogistics and photovoltaics.

With our 360° business development solution, we support well-known companies from new business to after sales.

Market intelligence, smarketing, marketing automation, content development, PR, mail campaigns, personalized social media and lead nurturing are part of our digital tools.

You can find out more at: www.xpert.digital - www.xpert.solar - www.xpert.plus