By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BEIJING/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Communist-run China is actively suppressing access to Christian news agency Worthy News and other websites deemed “dangerous” to the government.
A European digital expert and entrepreneur said he nearly ended up in prison after trying to access Worthy News through the regular internet. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he still works in China.
“Suddenly, I got a text message saying that I had to report myself to law enforcement authorities in Shanghai,” 750 miles (1,207 kilometers) “away from Beijing, which I visited. I could have ended up in prison.” Worthy News independently confirmed the text message.
The European reached Worthy News through a virtual private network (VPN), which allows for a computer connection and a remote VPN server.
He told Worthy News he is working on a VPN for Christians, dissidents, and journalists that encrypts personal data, masks Internet Protocol addresses, and lets users sidestep website blocks and firewalls on the internet.
“However, my problems began when I tried to reach Worthy News and other banned sites without a VPN. Authorities blocked me after trying to access Worthy News,” the entrepreneur added. “My bank card was ‘eaten’ by a cash dispenser. I could not make calls, including to family, and was not able to pay for anything, even not with China’s digital social media application.”
It reminded him of China’s social credit score system that can take ‘privileges’ such as traveling or buying groceries from people critical of the system, such as Christians or dissidents. “Everywhere are cameras.”
NO OPTION
While he managed to get around the blockade through business contacts, he said, “Many ordinary Chinese people don’t have that option.” Worthy News has often reported on Christians in China as well as regional threats such as Beijing’s policies toward Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Angrily, he decided to take “revenge” by “broadcasting live” from Beijing’s Tiananmen Square around the 35th anniversary of the army crackdown there on pro-democracy demonstrators.
Dozens of soldiers, along with up to 800 civilians, were killed in June 1989 during the so-called “Tiananmen Square Massacre,” according to unofficial estimates.
“That I could stream live from there through VPN was a miracle,” he added.
He returned safely home, realizing many would stay behind in challenging circumstances.
“Behind the neo-lights and spectacular sites in Shanghai, many live in poverty and are unable to give their free opinion.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping has come under Western pressure to improve human rights. He has denied wrongdoing, saying the “United States does not really believe in these values,” as evidenced by their history of “systemic racism“ denounced by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire that was to begin Friday afternoon, Worthy News learned.
At least 10 people, including four children, were injured in a Russian strike on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukrainian authorities said Friday. In southern Ukraine, the State Emergency Service reported that one person was killed and four others were injured in a separate Russian attack on the Odesa region.
President Donald Trump signed the temporary peace deal with Iran ahead of schedule Wednesday at the Palace of Versailles in France, kicking off negotiations over a final nuclear deal.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s statement following the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the United States is being viewed by analysts not as an embrace of peace, but as a carefully crafted declaration that preserves Tehran’s revolutionary posture while allowing the regime to regroup.
The United States imposed new sanctions Thursday on individuals and entities linked to Hezbollah, accusing them of using political and financial influence to obstruct Lebanon’s peace process and delay the Iran-backed group’s disarmament.
Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on Moscow since the war began, hitting a key oil refinery and other targets around the Russian capital, leaving at least one person dead and numerous others injured, Russian officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Southeast Asian leaders in Kazan this week as Moscow moved to deepen ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and promote its vision of a “multipolar world order” aimed at countering U.S. global dominance.