AWS in China: Why It’s Different—And Why You Need a Guide Like This One

When global businesses plan to scale into China, one of the first platforms they look to for cloud infrastructure is Amazon Web Services (AWS). But there's a catch: AWS China is not the same as AWS Global.

Whether you're a startup expanding into Asia or a multinational enterprise deploying services for the Chinese market, misunderstanding the architecture, access model, or regulatory obligations of AWS China can cost you time, money, and compliance headaches.

That’s why I wrote AWS China: From Zero to Hero – The Complete Guide—the most comprehensive, hands-on resource available for navigating AWS’s unique operations in China.

Why You Can’t Use AWS China Like You Use AWS Everywhere Else

Let’s start with the basics. Most professionals familiar with AWS expect to deploy services anywhere in the world by spinning up an EC2 instance or setting up an S3 bucket with a few clicks. But in China, the AWS experience is fundamentally different for several key reasons:

• AWS is not operated directly by Amazon in China. Instead, it is run through two local partners due to regulatory restrictions:

  • Sinnet for the Beijing Region

  • NWCD (Ningxia Western Cloud Data) for the Ningxia Region

• AWS China has a completely isolated infrastructure from AWS Global. There is no direct network connectivity, no shared IAM roles, and no unified billing.

• Account creation, authentication, and service availability all differ due to compliance with Chinese cybersecurity laws.

The result? You can’t just “extend” your AWS Global architecture into AWS China. You have to rebuild your architecture with local constraints and regulations in mind.

My book walks you through exactly how to do that—step-by-step.

What the Book Covers

AWS China: The Complete Guide is designed to take you from confused and frustrated to confident and compliant when deploying AWS services in China.

Here’s what you’ll learn inside:

✅ How AWS China is Structured and Operated

• Why AWS is licensed to Sinnet and NWCD in China

• What this means for data sovereignty, SLAs, and support

• How to interpret China-specific documentation and region limitations

✅ Setting Up and Managing AWS China Accounts

• How to open an AWS China account (spoiler: it’s not the same login as AWS Global)

• Business license requirements and identity verification for account creation

• Separate management consoles, access credentials, and login domains

✅ Deploying Core AWS Services in China

• What’s available—and what’s missing—in AWS China

• Workarounds for services like AWS Lambda, CloudFront, and Global Accelerator

• How to build scalable architectures using EC2, S3, RDS, CloudWatch, and VPC in China

✅ Compliance and Regulatory Alignment

• How AWS China helps you comply with China’s Cybersecurity Law, Data Security Law, and PIPL

• Overview of MLPS 2.0 classification, encryption expectations, and data residency enforcement

• How to navigate ICP licensing when deploying public-facing services on AWS China

✅ Cross-Border Architecture Strategy

• Handling data flow between AWS Global and AWS China

• Designing hybrid architectures with regional isolation

• Dealing with latency, DNS resolution, and content availability across the Great Firewall

✅ Cost Optimization and Billing

• Why pricing in China is different and region-specific

• No unified billing with AWS Global—learn how to manage two separate billing environments

• Tips for using reserved instances and local discounts through AWS China resellers

Who Should Read This Book

This guide is ideal for:

• Cloud Architects and Engineers tasked with designing or migrating workloads to China

• CTOs and Technical Managers leading expansion into the Chinese market

• Compliance Officers and IT Governance Teams navigating Chinese data laws

• Startups and Enterprises building apps for users in mainland China

• AWS Global Users who need a realistic understanding of what works—and what doesn’t—in AWS China

If you're working with AWS and entering China, this book will save you months of trial, error, and costly missteps.

Why AWS China Confuses Even Experienced Engineers

In my consulting work, I’ve encountered AWS-certified professionals and enterprise cloud teams who hit roadblocks within days of trying to launch AWS services in China.

Why? Because:

• The IAM structure is different

• There’s no direct CloudFront integration

• Services like Global Accelerator are unavailable

• Latency between China and the rest of the world is unpredictable

• There's a high degree of manual intervention in provisioning and account setup

• Compliance workflows (ICP, MLPS) are local and legal—not just technical

My goal with this book was to take all of those learnings—plus case studies from real deployments—and provide a clear, practical roadmap to navigating AWS in China.

What Makes This Book Different

There’s no shortage of AWS books—but almost none focus specifically and exclusively on AWS China. This guide is based on:

• Hands-on deployment experience with AWS China (Beijing and Ningxia regions)

• Collaboration with compliance teams, legal consultants, and government-affiliated cloud operators

• Architectural insight drawn from real-world cross-border cloud infrastructure projects

• Deep comparisons between AWS China and AWS Global—so you know exactly what to expect

Whether you’re preparing a greenfield deployment or adapting a global architecture, this book helps you build in China with clarity, compliance, and confidence.

Where to Get the Book

AWS China: From Zero to Hero – The Complete Guide is now available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback editions.

👉 Get the book on Amazon 

It’s a resource you’ll want to have on hand whether you're planning, deploying, or troubleshooting cloud workloads in China.