Technology News: The head of the peace embassy on both sides of the Taiwan Strait said that China does not prohibit circumvention of the firewall at all, and you can watch anything as long as you use a VPN

Taiwan's famous internet celebrity Chen Zihan, AKA Director Chen, recently concluded his trip to Shanghai, China, and generously shared his travel experiences on social media platforms. During a media interview after his livestream, he excitedly stated that China does not actually prohibit circumventing the internet firewall, which sparked heated discussion among netizens.

Director Chen emphasized that his visit to China was as a peace ambassador, with no political undertones or commercial compensation, purely out of personal curiosity. He mentioned that during his stay in China, he saw many people freely using Western social platforms like Instagram and YouTube, thus believing the so-called "internet blockade" was merely a rumor. However, this statement quickly raised doubts in Taiwan's online community, with many netizens pointing out that using VPN to circumvent restrictions in China is not universally legal or accessible. Legislator Shen Boyang refuted Director Chen, stating that VPN is indeed circumvention. This article will casually discuss the history of circumvention and VPN, guaranteed to be a personal opinion and social observation, not a sponsored content for any VPN service.

Circumvention and VPN

Such freedom of information remains a luxury in many authoritarian countries. In contrast, Chinese netizens still need to find ways to bypass the firewall to obtain the information they want, often operating in the gray area between technology and law, and at their own risk. In this context, the speaker's remarks undoubtedly show no consideration for the restrictions faced by Chinese citizens in real society.

BNY Wealth, the wealth management division of BNY Mellon, specializes in providing customized investment and wealth planning services for high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and institutional clients. According to their latest report, family office investors are particularly focused on alternative asset allocations this year, including private equity and digital assets, while reducing exposure to traditional stock markets.

Family Offices Increasing Private Equity Fund Allocation

According to the Bloomberg report citing BNY Wealth's "2025 Single Family Office Investment Insights" report, the survey included investment professionals from 282 family offices globally, managing assets ranging from $250 million to over $5 billion.

Among family offices managing over $1 billion in assets, two-thirds plan to increase their allocation to private equity funds this year, a growth of nearly 70% compared to 2024. Public stocks now account for about 19% of their investable assets, a 28% decrease from last year. Private equity investments are seeking to increase digital assets as their portfolio dependence on stocks is lower.

Recently, several cryptocurrency reserve companies like Tether-invested Twenty One Capital and SharpLink have been using private equity fundraising to buy Bit and ETH as strategic reserves.

(Tether's Ambitions and Blueprint for Direct Bit Investment in Twenty One)

Regulatory Clarity Helps Digital Asset Investment

The report, conducted in early 2025, also found a shift in attitudes towards cryptocurrencies, with 74% of surveyed investors stating that they have or are exploring investing in digital assets following the launch of the first Bit ETF and Trump's election after accepting cryptocurrencies during his campaign.

Sinead Colton Grant, Chief Investment Officer at BNY Wealth, stated:

Most importantly, regulatory clarity—I believe this helps increase comfort with cryptocurrency allocation.

Real Estate and AI Also Become Key Investment Themes

Investors are concerned about geopolitical risks and inflation, with U.S. companies particularly worried about price increases. In this context, over 60% of companies managing more than $1 billion in funds say they are considering increasing real estate investments this year. The report also found that artificial intelligence is expected to be a key investment theme in the coming years, which is not surprising.