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2026.01.19 IT/Web Technology

【Cloud Computing】Differences Between AWS International and AWS China

AWS (Amazon Web Services) is a global cloud service provider; however, its offerings in the Chinese market feature distinct service specifications and capabilities.

When utilizing AWS in China, it is essential to understand how it differs from the International version. This article outlines the primary distinctions between AWS International and AWS China.

* Information is current as of January 2026.

Table of Contents

1 AWS International vs. AWS China Comparison
- 1.1 Different Operating Entities
2 Core Services in AWS China
- 2.1 Service Considerations
3 Summary
- 3.1 Related Services

AWS International vs. AWS China Comparison

Different Operating Entities

While sharing the same AWS brand, AWS International and AWS China are managed as distinct cloud services. This is due to fundamental differences in account registration requirements and underlying service infrastructure.

AWS China (Amazon Cloud Technology) is operated by different entities than AWS International. Accounts are only available to customers with a Chinese national ID or local business registration, meaning a Chinese legal entity is required for sign-up.

Furthermore, AWS International accounts cannot access China regions. A separate AWS China account must be created specifically for these regions. Since the service infrastructures are entirely independent, there is no linkage or integration between International and China accounts.

Category	AWS International Edition	AWS China Edition
Brand Name	AWS (Amazon Web Services)	Amazon Cloud Technology
Service URL	https://aws.amazon.com	https://www.amazonaws.cn
Target Audience	Individuals and legal entities outside mainland China	Individuals and legal entities outside mainland China
Registration Requirements	Contact information and credit card details	Contact information and credit card details
Identity Verification	Verification via email, phone, etc.	Verification via email, phone, etc.
Operating Entity	Operated by Amazon Web Services, Inc.	Operated by Amazon Web Services, Inc.
Access to China Regions	Not available (requires a separate AWS China account)	Not available (requires a separate AWS China account)
Available Services	Globally standard cloud services	Globally standard cloud services
System Independence	Globally integrated services	Globally integrated services
Compliance	Complies with global standards and regional laws	Complies with global standards and regional laws
Support	Global support （Primary language: English）	Global support （Primary language: English）

Core Services in AWS China

< AWS China Management Console >

Due to regulatory compliance and technical constraints in China, not all services available in AWS International are offered in AWS China.

Additionally, even for available services, certain feature limitations may apply. The following is an excerpt of key AWS China services and their respective restrictions.

Service	Status in AWS China	Remarks
Amazon EC2	〇 Available	Limited selection of instance types.
Amazon S3	〇 Available	Certain storage classes are restricted.
Amazon EBS	〇 Available	Limited selection of volume types.
Amazon VPC	〇 Available	Fully supported.
Auto Scaling	〇 Available	Core features are available.
Elastic Load Balancing	〇 Available	Supports ALB, NLB, and CLB.
Amazon RDS	〇 Available	Supports major engines (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, etc.).
Amazon Aurora	〇 Available	MySQL and PostgreSQL compatible editions.
Amazon ElastiCache	〇 Available	Supports Redis and Memcached.
Amazon DynamoDB	〇 Available	Fully managed NoSQL database.
Amazon SNS / SQS	〇 Available	Core features are available.
Amazon CloudWatch	〇 Available	Core features are available.
AWS WAF	〇 Available	Core features are available.
AWS VPN	〇 Available	Restricted to connections within mainland China.
AWS Direct Connect	〇 Available	Connection must be established via local Chinese carriers.
Amazon Route 53	△ Partial	・Global DNS capabilities are restricted. ・DNS resolution for queries outside mainland China must pass through dedicated China-specific name servers.
Amazon CloudFront	△ Partial	Integrated with the China domestic CDN as “Amazon CloudFront with China Network” using local Points of Presence (PoPs).
AWS WAF	△ Limited	・International managed rules are restricted. ・Certain bot protection features are unavailable.
AWS Certificate Manager（ACM）	△ Limited	Restrictions apply to the certificate issuance process (utilizing domestic Chinese CAs).
AWS Lambda	△ Limited	・Constraints apply to execution environments and memory configurations. ・Certain runtimes are currently unsupported.
Amazon ECS / EKS	△ Limited	Rollout of the latest versions may be delayed compared to Global regions.
AWS Fargate	△ Limited	Rollout of the latest versions may be delayed compared to Global regions.
AWS IAM Identity Center	△ Limited	No integration or linkage with AWS Global accounts is supported.
AWS Organizations	△ Limited	Unified management across AWS Global and AWS China accounts is not available.

Service Considerations

Please note that service availability and supported features may vary slightly between the Beijing and Ningxia regions.

Summary

When planning your AWS deployment for the Chinese market, please consider the following points.

You cannot open an AWS China account without a registered Chinese legal entity.
Certain service specifications and features differ from the International version because AWS China is localized for the domestic market.
AWS International and AWS China must be treated as entirely separate cloud services because their underlying infrastructures do not allow for system-level integration.