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ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini in China: What's Officially Supported

OpenAI and Anthropic don't support mainland China, and Gemini is listed for Workspace only. What that means for companies, plus the local AI services offered in China.

Updated October 2026.

The short answer

OpenAI and Anthropic do not list mainland China as a supported region, and Anthropic also bars companies majority-owned from places like China. Google lists the Gemini web app in mainland China for Workspace only. DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi and Doubao are offered in China by Chinese companies. A network route cannot change any provider's terms.

Table of contents

Which AI services officially support mainland China?

We checked each provider's own availability page on 23 October 2026. Providers update these pages, so check the links again before you decide anything.

ServiceMainland ChinaHong KongRules about company ownershipOfficial source
OpenAI (ChatGPT and the API)Not on the supported listNot on the supported listNone on this pageSupported countries
Anthropic (Claude, Claude Code, the API)UnsupportedNot on the supported listBars entities headquartered in, or majority-owned or controlled from, unsupported regionsSupported Regions Policy
Google Gemini web app"Mainland China (Workspace only)"ListedNone on this pageWhere you can use the Gemini web app
Google Gemini API and AI StudioNot listedNot listedNone on this pageAvailable regions
DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi, DoubaoOffered in China by Chinese companiesVaries by serviceCheck each provider's termsSee the next sections

What exactly do OpenAI, Anthropic and Google say?

OpenAI. OpenAI's list of supported countries and territories does not include mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau. The page warns that using or offering access to its services outside the listed countries "may result in your account being blocked or suspended".

Anthropic. Anthropic's Supported Regions Policy (the page we read is marked effective 12 November 2026) says its products, including Claude.ai, Claude Code, the API and Claude models offered through cloud platforms and resellers, are available only in the listed countries and regions, and that "any country or region not listed is unsupported". China is not listed. The policy then rules out three things:

  • use by people "while physically located in an unsupported region", including users and staff of otherwise supported companies;
  • use by entities incorporated or headquartered in an unsupported region;
  • use by entities "majority-owned or controlled, directly or indirectly" by people or entities in unsupported regions.

The ownership rule dates from September 2025, when Anthropic announced it would restrict entities more than 50% owned, directly or indirectly, by companies headquartered in unsupported regions "regardless of where they operate", naming China as an example (Anthropic, 4 September 2025).

Google. Google's help page for the Gemini web app lists "Mainland China (Workspace only)" and lists Hong Kong. Google's separate page for the Gemini API and AI Studio does not list mainland China or Hong Kong. Google's consumer services are blocked on normal mainland connections, so a Workspace customer should ask its Workspace administrator and Google what applies to staff in China. Our guide to Google Workspace from a China office covers the rest of Workspace.

What are the local alternatives in China?

China regulates AI chat services offered to the public under the Interim Measures for the Management of Generative AI Services, in force since 15 August 2023 (Cyberspace Administration of China). Providers file their services with the regulator. By 31 August 2026, 1,112 generative AI services had completed that filing, according to the regulator's announcement of 14 September 2026 (reported by Eastmoney).

Four of the best-known services, described neutrally:

ServiceMade byWhat it is
DeepSeekHangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence, HangzhouChat app, web version and developer API, with the company's own V4 models
Qwen (千问)AlibabaAlibaba's Qwen model family and its Qianwen (千问) assistant app, renamed from Tongyi in November 2025 (Caixin)
KimiMoonshot AIAssistant for chat, documents, research and agent tasks
DoubaoByteDanceGeneral AI assistant

We don't rank them. Test them on your own tasks, and read each provider's terms and data-handling rules before you put company information into any AI tool, Chinese or foreign. On a Throughwire router these four stay on your normal Chinese connection and use none of your Throughwire data.

What should foreign companies with staff in China do?

The honest starting point: for OpenAI and Anthropic, use from mainland China is outside what the providers support. Anthropic's policy says so explicitly, even for staff of a company that is itself in a supported country.

A sensible process for a company with people in China:

  1. List who uses which AI tools, and where they sit. Staff in Shanghai and staff in Singapore may fall under different rules from the same provider.
  2. Read each provider's terms and availability page. Use the links in the table above, and save a dated copy for your records.
  3. Talk to your provider. If you have an enterprise agreement, ask your account team in writing whether staff physically in mainland China may use the service under your contract. Get the answer from them, not from a forum.
  4. Choose tools for China-based staff that their providers support there. That may mean a local service for some tasks, after your own review of terms and data handling.
  5. Write it into your AI policy. Tell staff which tools are approved where, and why.

Don't work around a provider's region checks. Providers can block or suspend accounts, and for a company the contract is at stake as well as the account.

What does Anthropic's ownership rule mean for Chinese-owned companies?

Anthropic's policy looks at who owns or controls a company, not only where it is. An entity that is majority-owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by people or entities in an unsupported region such as China falls outside the policy, and so do its users and staff, wherever they sit. A subsidiary registered in Singapore or Germany but majority-owned by a company headquartered in China is covered by the rule, according to Anthropic's September 2025 announcement.

For a Chinese brand building an overseas business, that means:

  • Check ownership before choosing tools. Your legal team knows your ownership chain; Anthropic's rule follows it.
  • Cloud platforms don't change it. The policy covers Claude models offered through cloud platforms and resellers too.
  • Plan for alternatives. Other providers' terms differ; read them for your own structure, and consider the Chinese services above for work done in China.

This is general information, not legal advice.

What does Throughwire do, and what can't it do?

Throughwire provides fast, dependable internet to the global web from mainland China, through apps or a router that covers every device on the Wi-Fi. On a Throughwire router, international services such as ChatGPT, OpenAI's API and Claude go through Throughwire, and Chinese services such as DeepSeek, Kimi, Doubao and Qwen stay on your normal connection. That is network routing: international destinations take an international route, Chinese ones stay local.

What Throughwire cannot do:

  • It cannot change any provider's terms, region list or account rules. OpenAI and Anthropic do not list mainland China as supported, and no network service changes that.
  • It does not make an unsupported use supported. Whether you may use a service is decided by the provider and your agreement with it.
  • We won't help anyone work around a provider's region checks.

Where Throughwire helps is everything else your team needs from abroad: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, GitHub, Slack and Zoom, with WeChat and DingTalk staying fast on the local line. See which apps go where.

When Throughwire isn't the right choice

  • You only need an AI assistant for staff in China. A provider that supports China, or a written arrangement with your current provider, is the answer. A network is not.
  • Your company is Chinese-owned and wants Claude. Anthropic's ownership rule applies wherever you connect from.
  • Your data must stay in China. Use services hosted and offered in China, after your own review.

Common questions

Is ChatGPT available in China?

Not officially. OpenAI's supported countries page does not list mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau, and warns that access from outside the listed countries may lead to account blocking or suspension (checked 23 October 2026).

Can I use Claude in China?

Anthropic's Supported Regions Policy lists China as unsupported and rules out use while physically located in an unsupported region, including for staff of otherwise supported companies. It also bars companies majority-owned or controlled from unsupported regions.

Is Gemini available in mainland China?

Google's help page for the Gemini web app lists "Mainland China (Workspace only)". Its page for the Gemini API and AI Studio does not list mainland China. Workspace customers should ask their administrator and Google what applies.

Which AI tools are offered in China?

Chinese services such as DeepSeek, Alibaba's Qwen, Moonshot AI's Kimi and ByteDance's Doubao are offered in China. Generative AI services for the public in China are filed with the Cyberspace Administration of China; 1,112 had completed filing by 31 August 2026.

Does Throughwire make ChatGPT or Claude officially supported in China?

No. Throughwire provides the network route and nothing more. Each provider decides where its service is supported, and only the provider can change that.