Understanding the Great Firewall of China and Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
If you’re looking to reach audiences in China, you may have concerns about the Great Firewall of China (GFW) and how it affects website accessibility. Established by the Chinese government, the GFW restricts access to certain international websites and services, including Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
But what does this mean for websites hosted on Google Cloud Platform (GCP)? Let’s break it down.
Is GCP Blocked in China?
No, GCP itself isn’t blocked. However, the Chinese government has control over what websites and platforms can be accessed. While Google doesn’t prevent traffic from China, the GFW may still restrict certain sites hosted on GCP.
At Innermedia, we use hosting solutions which operate on GCP (Google Cloud Platform). Many of our clients successfully serve Chinese users, but accessibility isn’t always guaranteed due to China’s unpredictable blocking policies.
How to Check If Your Website is Blocked in China
If you want to see whether your website is accessible behind the Great Firewall, you can use free online testing tools such as:
These tools allow you to check access from various cities in China, including Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.
Best Hosting Locations for China
Since GCP doesn’t have data centres in China, we recommend choosing nearby locations like:
- Hong Kong
- Taiwan
These provide lower latency and better connectivity for Chinese users. You can also use tools like GCP Ping to find the fastest data centre for your audience.
We can host websites in these countries via our Cloudflare solution which will improve your visibility in China.
- Hong Kong (China)
- Jakarta (Indonesia)
- Osaka (Japan)
- Tokyo (Japan)
- Seoul (Korea)
- Singapore (Singapore)
- Taiwan
Some of our clients host specific Chinese landing pages in these nearby territories alongside their normal websites which are hosted in the UK.
How to Improve Website Accessibility in China
If your site is blocked or loads slowly in China, here are some ways to improve accessibility:
- Use a CDN (Content Delivery Network): Services like Cloudflare can help improve loading speeds and potentially bypass some restrictions.
- Create a country specific landing page that can be hosted in a nearby territory via Cloudflare which will improve your chances of infiltrating the Great FireWall of China.
- Avoid Google-based services: Since Google is blocked, websites using Google Fonts, Google Analytics, or YouTube embeds may not load properly.
- Optimise website speed: Reducing file sizes, optimising images, and using caching can improve performance for users in China.
Hosting your website on GCP doesn’t mean it will automatically be blocked in China, but it’s essential to monitor accessibility and take steps to improve user experience. If you need help optimising your website for international audiences, get in touch with Innermedia today!
