Does anyone has experience with China websites in AEM as Cloud ?

[VeenaVikraman]

Hi All,

We are currently in the process of migrating to AEM as a Cloud Service. At present, our AEM 6.5 websites are hosted in China using AWS and Akamai. Since AEM as a Cloud Service is not available within China, I would like to understand how website hosting is typically managed for AEM as Cloud customers in China.

Although Akamai is exiting China by June 2026, they are assisting us in transitioning to either Tencent or Wangsu, which addresses that aspect. The primary concern, however, is AEM as a Cloud Service itself. Based on the information I have gathered, AEM as a Cloud Service is not officially supported in China.

I have reviewed the limited documentation and blogs available on this topic, but I would like to clarify whether not hosting the content within China would put our ICP licenses at risk of cancellation.

Has anyone worked with AEM as a Cloud Service for websites in China? What would be the best approach to migrate and host content while ensuring compliance with Chinese regulations?

I have referred to the following blogs:

• China AEM Hosting Options
• Does Adobe Experience Manager Work in China?

Thanks,
Veena

[daniel-strmecki · Accepted solution]

Hi @VeenaVikraman,

on my project, we are not using CDN for the China sites at all, as it is not required. Instead, we have implemented a Varnish cache in AWS China that grabs the content from the AEMaaCS instances hosted in Europe. So the final site is cached and delivered from China to align with the legal restrictions. Note that China editors use the same AEM author as all other editors worldwide, but the delivery of content to China users goes through AWS China instead of our standard Akamai CDN.

Hope this helps,

Daniel

[VeenaVikraman]

That's great news, @daniel-strmecki ! So, as per ICP guidelines, having servers inside China is not mandatory, but ensuring content availability within China is sufficient. Is my understanding correct?

[daniel-strmecki]

Hi @VeenaVikraman,

I think so, but you should verify that with a legal expert.

Good luck,

Daniel

[VeenaVikraman]

Thanks @daniel-strmecki . I will check with the Legal. But this helps a lot.

[ManviSharma]

Hi Team,

Hi Veena,

AEM as a Cloud Service is not officially supported in China due to both technical and legal constraints. This includes compliance with China's regulatory framework, such as the need for an Internet Content Provider (ICP) license.The Great Firewall of China significantly impacts the performance of services hosted outside China when accessed from within the country.

• For optimal performance within China, a China-specific CDN (e.g., Alibaba or Tencent) is required, which can act as a Bring Your Own CDN (BYOCDN) pointing to the AEM-managed Fastly CDN.
  

  
  While AEMaaCS does not natively support hosting in China, AMS provides a viable alternative for customers requiring hosting within China. For content delivery, leveraging a China-specific CDN with ICP compliance is essential. A clear migration, compliance, and operational strategy can ensure a smooth transition while maintaining regulatory adherence and performance.
  
  

  Let me know if you have any more specific questions

  
  
  
  

[kautuk_sahni]

@VeenaVikraman Did you find the suggestions helpful? Please let us know if you need more information. If a response worked, kindly mark it as correct for posterity; alternatively, if you found a solution yourself, we’d appreciate it if you could share it with the community. Thank you!

[VeenaVikraman]

@kautuk_sahni  For now only @daniel-strmecki answer sounds right for me as that can be a possible solution for my concern. I will mark that as correct .