Guangzhou to set up limited ‘cross-border internet’ for scientific research

Pilot scheme will allow use of network in Nansha district in coordination with universities and institutes in Hong Kong and Macau
It’s part of the Greater Bay Area plan and will give students and academics access to resources currently blocked by the Great Firewall

Censorship in China

Xinlu Liang

Published: 7:00pm, 24 Jul 2023

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Guangzhou will work with universities and research institutes in Hong Kong and Macau to allow limited use of a “cross-border internet” network in the mainland Chinese city as part of the Greater Bay Area plan.

The pilot scheme will allow use of the network for scientific research in the city’s Nansha district as a way to ensure “data security” and create a convenient internet environment for scientific data in accordance with the law, according to the Guangzhou Municipal Government Affairs Data Administration.

It has sought public opinion on this and other data management issues in draft regulations released on Friday. The administration also called for Nansha district to improve its data infrastructure and promote the scheme.

The move is part of the Chinese government’s plan to link Hong Kong and Macau with Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and six other cities in the southern Guangdong province by 2035 to create a financial and tech hub known as the Greater Bay Area.

02:33

How China censors the internet

Beijing strictly controls the internet behind the Great Firewall in mainland China, but the firewall does not extend to the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

The overarching online censorship system has been in place since the 1990s and blocks foreign sites such as Google, Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as well as news outlets including the South China Morning Post.

That means students and academics in mainland China cannot access most scientific research resources unless they use a virtual private network, or VPN, to get around the firewall. Students have reportedly been using foreign phone numbers and VPNs to bypass the restrictions and access ChatGPT.

Under the pilot scheme, Nansha district is to build an optical cable landing station and a channel for “international internet access”.

The draft regulations also state that the government will set up “a cross-border data circulation ‘white list’ system to ensure cross-border data security”. Only those who have been approved for the white list will be allowed to use the system, which is part of the internet network.

The regulations also call for Nansha to develop its data industry in areas such as computing, processing and services, and to set up a data industry centre for international cooperation.

06:19

High hopes for China’s Greater Bay Area, but integrating 11 cities will pose challenges

Nansha is a key part of the State Council’s plan to deepen ties between Hong Kong and Macau and nearby Guangdong province. Its goal of turning Nansha into a “new home” for Hong Kong and Macau residents was unveiled in a 26-point document released in June last year that details how they could benefit from increased cooperation across the border.

The central government also vowed to support cross-border collaboration between research institutes such as the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the National Supercomputer Centre in Guangzhou.