VPN not working in China? Here’s how I FIXED that! (2023)

If you’ve been trying to use a VPN in China and it’s not working, your VPN can no longer get around the Chinese government’s strict internet censorship protocols.

To prevent its citizens from accessing websites like Facebook, Google and Twitter, the Chinese government introduced its “Great Firewall of China.” This combination of technologies, paired with legislation, regulates China’s domestic internet use.

A VPN is a good way of getting around these technologies. Therefore, the Chinese government tries to block VPNs.

If your VPN has stopped working or is no longer working, it isn’t good enough to get around these blocks.

Fortunately, there’s an easy way to resolve VPN not working in China. This article will explain how to fix the issue and stop it from happening again.

See also:

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• Outlook not working with VPN? Try these EASY fixes! (2023)

VPN not working in China: Quick Fix

To fix VPN not working in China, you need to upgrade to a VPN that can provide IP addresses that the Chinese authorities can’t identify and block.

To get around this, you need a VPN that uses a fast and highly secure protocol. We recommend ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and its proprietary Lightway protocol.

To get the best VPN for China, follow these simple steps:

Are VPNs legal in China?

This is a bit of a grey area, and there doesn’t seem to be a definitive answer.

While China’s “Great Firewall” blocks websites like Facebook and Google, it doesn’t block VPNs entirely.

On numerous occasions, the Chinese government has threatened to ban VPNs completely. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Instead, the Chinese government regulates VPNs and tries to block them.

China doesn’t block VPNs entirely because international businesses often use VPNs to protect their online presence and information. These businesses bring a lot of industry and financial investment into the country. Therefore China does not want to prevent them from being able to function within its borders. 

This is good for an individual user because it means you can use a VPN in China. The hard part is finding a VPN that doesn’t get blocked by the Chinese authorities.

Why isn’t your VPN working in China?

Although VPNs are legal in China, the Chinese government has blocked them on numerous occasions.

Because VPNs allow you to make it look like you’re connecting to the internet from outside China, they can potentially allow you to access content that the Chinese government censors.

To prevent that, China often blocks VPNs. 

How does China block VPNs?

The way China blocks VPNs is all to do with your VPN’s protocol.

The government uses Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technology that allows them to identify when online data comes through specific VPN protocols. 

If your VPN relies on these protocols, it shows the government that someone is accessing online content via a VPN. When this happens, the Chinese government blocks the IP address your VPN has given you and subsequently blocks all the IP addresses your VPN can provide.

This can be frustrating, especially if you’ve paid for a VPN that doesn’t end up working in China. 

Do VPNs still work in China?

Yes, VPNs still work in China; however, you need a VPN that can stay ahead of the Deep Packet Inspection VPN blocking techniques.

While these blocks are relatively effective at blocking most VPNs, some VPNs have better protocols than others. 

A VPN protocol determines how fast and secure a VPN is.

ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) uses its own protocol, Lightway, which is designed to be super-fast and incredibly secure. The use of Lightway makes ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) a very good VPN for getting around China’s VPN blocks.

Lightway is open-source and was created by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month). This means if it comes across any errors or you run into issues using the protocol, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) is able to identify the issue and fix it quickly.

This allows you to use a VPN in China reliably.

What if ExpressVPN gets blocked?

ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) uses a simple technique that allows it to provide you with IP addresses that will consistently work in China.

When an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) is blocked by the state, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) will close that IP address and open a new one. 

This new IP will not have been blocked and it allows you to stay one step ahead of the Chinese VPN blocks, and it means you’ll be able to go online with a VPN reliably in the country.