As the second largest nation in the world, the People’s Republic of China boasts a strong Internet presence. Other Asian nations such as Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal are similarly well-connected. The strict regulatory practice of the Chinese government dictates a heavy level of website filtering in China and other Asian nations. Violating Internet restrictions in China can carry a severe penalty, and many dissidents have been jailed for these offenses.

History of China/Asia

The People’s Republic of China occupies the greater part of East Asia and has the world’s largest population at 1.35 billion. The capital is Beijing and China’s Communist government rules over several smaller provinces including Taiwan.

China has been a world power for almost as long as the modern world has existed. The sheer land mass of the country as well as its powerful military make it a major player in the political affairs of the day. Much of China’s economy is driven by exports and it is the second-largest in the world today.

Officially founded in 1949, China has become the face of modern-day Communism. As such, the country is subjected to a significant amount of government control.

Internet in China/Asia

China has the largest base of Internet users in the world. They also have one of the oldest Internet infrastructures. The Internet made its appearance in China in 1987 with the transmission of an email that said, “Across the Great Wall, we can reach every corner of the world.” China was aware from the very beginning of the tremendous possibility of the Internet.

In 2012 China had over 500 million Internet users. They project over 700 million users by the end of 2013. Other Asian nations such as Sri Lanka and Nepal and the Philippines have not reached anywhere near the level of penetration achieved in China, but many Asian countries remain impoverished.

The majority of Internet users in China have broadband service. The cost of the service is very affordable for even lower income families. Over 3 million websites are hosted and developed in China, and this works to increase China’s online presence.

Internet Filtering in China/Asia

All online access routes in China are owned by the Chinese government. This means that businesses and individuals essentially rent bandwidth from the state. As you can imagine, this type of ownership allows the Chinese government to effectively control what is viewed online. There is a similar approach to Internet service in other Asian nations such as North Korea.

China’s Internet repression is considered to be the worst in the world. A recent report by Amnesty International reveals that China has jailed a record number of journalists for violating the state’s stance on what can be posted online.  China even maintains an Internet Police Force with more than 30,000 officers on active duty.

Other Asian nations, such as North Korea, have followed China’s example by exercising strict Internet restrictions. At the present time, these are a few of the types of websites which are blocked throughout Asia:

• Political Blogs. Any website, blog, or news outlet which criticizes the Chinese government will likely be blocked. If the offensive posts originated from within the country, those who posted them are likely to be arrested.
• Pornographic websites. They certainly don’t restrict them the way Arab countries do, but China has been known to block pornography.
• Search terms. Some search terms are blocked in Google results and the results of other search engines like Bing and Yahoo. This speaks of how seriously the government monitors Internet activity.

It is also interesting to note that China blocked the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter in 2009 because of the state’s inability to properly control or monitor these services. You can read more about the great firewall of china here

Unblocking websites in China/Asia

If you want to experience true Internet freedom in China and the great majority of Asia, your most reliable option is to use a VPN account like the one offered on our site VPN-accounts.com. Without this type of service, you will encounter severe limitations and restrictions on the Asian continent.

A VPN is very effective in allowing Internet users to access Facebook, Twitter, and a host of other services like Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer which are not available in China and throughout Asia. A VPN gives you an added level of security in addition to making these websites available, and that added security could save you a lot of trouble in the long run given the restrictions in China.

For the latest news about China check the guardian news feed!