Can I still access USA websites from Hong Kong or China?

[Xu Jun]

Hi everyone, I was wondering if I can just type www.google.com or www.gmail.com and be okay while I'm in China or Hong kong? What are the restrictions? Are there any guides out there for this kind of temporary transition?... If not... is there a way to remote control my desktop and use that desktop to access everything?... also does skype work..?

Thank you guys! I will be in HK in a few days!

[skylee]

HK is not surrounded by the great firewall of China.

[xianhua]

Users who live in China permanently will be best placed to judge this, but I seem to be finding (on my current trip) that accessing Google is sporadic - and rather random. One minute I'll be able to check Google maps, the next I won't then the day after I won't be able to access Google at all. Rather frustrating.

[liuzhou]

Internet access in Hong Kong is unrestricted.

Here on the mainland, the vast majority of overseas sites are accessible. However, some high profile sites are specifically blocked including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Google is sporadic but works most of the time; the same with Gmail. Skype works.

There are no guides. The situation changes from day to day

[Lu]

Skype can be used without problems, although I heard you can't download it here.

Google and gmail have been a bit better to use in the past 1-2 weeks, in my experience, although it's still often very slow, and gmail chat doesn't work much of the time. Google cache doesn't work at all (for me at home at least), which is a bit annoying.

Most overseas websites can be accessed normally, with the exceptions already noted. I think blogspot/blogger is also blocked, as well as a few specific sites that say things about China that the government doesn't want to hear.

[skylee]

are websites with .tw url banned?

[gato]

Many Taiwan government websites are blocked, like the website for the Taiwanese courts.

For example, if you do a search for 台湾司法院 on Baidu, the 台湾司法院 website won't be in the results.

Compare Baidu with Google:

http://www.baidu.com/s?bs=%CC%A8%CD%E5+%CB%BE%B7%A8%D4%BA&f=8&wd=%CC%A8%CD%E5+%CB%BE%B7%A8%D4%BA

台湾司法院

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=hMb&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=%E5%8F%B0%E6%B9%BE+%E5%8F%B8%E6%B3%95%E9%99%A2&aq=f&aqi=g-g10&aql=&oq=

台湾司法院

Some Taiwanese newspapers (like 中国时报) are available, but others (联合报) are blocked.

Outside of government and newspaper websites, many Taiwanese sites are viewable in the mainland, with the usual exceptions like blogs, etc.

[liuzhou]

are websites with .tw url banned?

Some are, but there is no blanket ban.

I have just accessed the following random websites, for example..

http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/

http://www.ecs.com.tw

Taiwan government websites are blocked.

[gato]

For general background on China's Great Firewall and ways of getting around it, take a look at these threads. The government has been messing with Gmail by blocking it at random times and slowing it down in general.

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/13163-internet-blocks-the-great-firewall-and-vpns/

Internet Blocks, the Great Firewall and VPNs

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/21454-google-gmail-blocked-in-china/

Google & Gmail blocked in China

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/21652-review-on-witopia-and-other-anti-wall-apps/

Review on Witopia and other "Anti-Wall" apps

[skylee]

Why are they afraid of blogs? Because of the uncensored free thoughts?

[gato]

Because blogs are decentralized and updated constantly. They are too hard for the Great Firewall software to filter out effectively. Keyword filters are easy to evade by inserting space or a '.' between characters, for example.

Blogs hosted by companies within mainland China, on the other hand, are monitored by teams of thousands of human censors. If these companies don't keep up with the censoring, their sites can be shut down by the government.