No More Circumventing the Great Firewall! Kuai Lian VPN Ceases Operations in Mainland China

The CCP has constructed the Great Firewall, obstructing citizens from accessing truthful information from overseas. (Dajiyuan composite image)

[People News] The VPN software Kuai Lian, which claims to be 'always connectable,' announced on April 28 that it would terminate its operations in mainland China due to the ongoing impact of network blockades. Over the past 20 days, despite numerous efforts, the company has been unable to find an effective solution to the connection issues. Since the beginning of April, the Chinese Communist authorities have tightened internet controls, affecting many VPN users who are struggling to bypass the firewall and are unable to access information from 'outside the wall.'

In its announcement on the 28th, Kuai Lian VPN stated: 'We regret to announce a difficult decision; we must cease our business operations aimed at mainland China. Due to the ongoing impact of network blockades, our technical team has been making adjustments almost every hour over the past 20 days. Unfortunately, after numerous attempts, it has been confirmed that we cannot effectively resolve the connection issues.'

'We thank everyone for their trust in the past... We are grateful for the opportunity to assist Chinese customers in using AI services and help cross-border e-commerce grow. We deeply regret that we can no longer provide services; we truly wish we could do more.'

The announcement also mentioned that it would ensure the rights of every user and assist in processing refunds. Currently, efforts are underway to develop an automated refund system to reduce user waiting times.

According to reports from mainland media, on April 8, the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China convened a national conference in Beijing focused on the rule of law in cyberspace. The meeting outlined current and future initiatives in this area, including advancing key network legislation, strengthening internal party regulations, expanding the rule of law for foreign-related cyberspace, continuously improving the network legal norms system, and enhancing law enforcement in critical sectors.

Following the conference, the three major telecommunications operators upgraded their feature identification systems for cross-border links. They employed AI and deep packet inspection technology to implement real-time physical disconnection of encrypted traffic suspected to be from VPNs. Concurrently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Security, conducted a comprehensive inspection of domestic IDC data centres and cloud service providers, forcibly shutting down all unregistered transit nodes and foreign-related proxy servers, effectively severing circumvention paths at the infrastructure level. Additionally, public security authorities utilised traffic monitoring for precise targeting, imposing penalties on individual VPN users through measures such as interviews, administrative detention, and fines.

Analysts indicate that in the context of a persistent economic downturn, the Communist Party's full-link blockade on foreign-related networks represents a defensive response as the regime approaches a 'doomsday collapse' phase. This 'pulling the plug' approach reveals the extreme fear harboured by the Communist Party: when real issues such as foreign capital withdrawal, a collapsing real estate market, and soaring youth unemployment can no longer be hidden, the Party's greatest concern is that the public will access genuine information through circumvention, thereby exposing its carefully constructed economic falsehoods.

Analysts indicate that this blockade is not merely a technical encirclement; it is also a political gamble that reveals the rulers' profound anxiety over the potential collapse of their regime. They are prepared to sacrifice the last remaining forces of social development, including scientific research and foreign trade, in a bid to forcibly isolate China into a closed-off 'information island.' This 'self-destructive' suppression, aimed at preserving power, is exacerbating social tensions and vividly illustrating the desperate struggle of a fearful totalitarian government on the brink of collapse. △