VPNtech Runo, a semi-popular Chinese VPN provider recently shut down their services against Chinese governmental aggression. A representative explains that “we decided to shut down the website from October 9 and you will not be able to purchase the service or make any inquiries. Some other VPN services may also be affected.
One reason VPNs get banned or restricted in China is that the Chinese government claims that criminals use VPNs to commit crimes. By cutting off VPN use, the Chinese government thinks that it’s taking a major step towards ending cybercrime.
Qin An, a cyber security expert that helps proliferate fear mongering for the Chinese government, explains that “”VPN services can be used as a springboard by cyber criminals to spread pornography, run gambling business, and even conduct fraud in China.” This cyber security expert also fails to mention that VPNs help Chinese citizens access content that shouldn’t be restricted in the first place.
Astrill VPN is one VPN that claims it still works in China, but we’ve seen so many complaints about the service ( and even had our own in our review) that we can’t recommend it at all. Instead, we do have some great VPNs to use in China in the face of the VPNtech Runo shutdown.
Why does China Hate VPN?
The Chinese government’s internet is constructed to be a tool that helps them control their population. The internet is used to enforce the government’s needs and ideas without giving the population of the country any choice.
Chinese users get access to “Chinese internet” which can’t access Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or even large portions of Wikipedia that portray large and accurate amounts of information.
While Chinese propaganda specialists explain away the use of VPN, they fail to mention why Chinese users can’t access a harmless site like Wikipedia without the use of a VPN.
To access any sort of popular worldwide tech platform Internet in China, you need to use a VPN. Just because you are using a VPN to access Twitter doesn’t automatically mean you want to talk about bombs or how to assassinate governmental figures. It just means you want to use the internet like any other person in a country that trusts its population not to be criminals.
What makes a VPN Good for China?
Since VPNtech Runo is gone (whether because the Chinese government got to them somehow, or they just gave up), so you need a new VPN to use in China.What makes a good Chinese VPN?
- Extra security
For a Chinese VPN, you need the best security. The reason is that China hates VPN users since it allows them free internet access without censorship. To even use VPN, you need to have a VPN that allows the use of Stealth VPN which makes your VPN use invisible. Read how Stealth VPN works here.
- Fast Speeds
Regardless of where you are, China or otherwise, you need to have good speeds from your VPN provider, or it just makes using a VPN pointless if your browsing, streaming, or gaming experience suffers for it.
- Affordable
Another important aspect of a good Chinese VPN is that it needs to be affordable. VPNs vary in price, and even though Astrill calls itself one of the best VPNs, it’s still more expensive than other options.
- Customer Service
Finally, you need a VPN that has excellent customer service. Since China hates VPNs so much, there is bound to be some difficulties in the future. If you pick a VPN that has good customer service, you can always get a refund or work something out with their customer service department to get credit for downtimes or any hassles you might encounter when using a VPN in China.
Which VPNs are the best VPN for China?
Our #1 pick for China is TorGuard VPN since it’s the cheapest VPN that works in China. It also has the best security with Stealth VPN, Stealth Proxy, 256-AES, 24/7 customer service, a great refund policy, and the biggest server network out of all the VPNs. It meets every one of our criteria that a VPN in China should have.
It’s cheaper than Astrill VPN, easier to setup, and it just works better on PC and any platform. We covered the full extent of their services in their service in our TorGuard review, so check it out there if you aren’t convinced.
Our #2 pick for the best VPN in China is ExpressVPN, since it’s also a very good VPN with fast speeds and plenty of servers to use. However, it’s just a bit more expensive to use.
