@Petergg You have good points. I was skeptical but desperate to get to one certain website in the US. I finally got in w/o the vpn after trying for two weeks. I will not be using gogovpn. Thanks for your thoughts.

Bloomberg just reported that as of Feb 1, 2018 that China mobil, telecom, and unicom can no longer allow the use of VPN's. Went on to further add this action will make it nearly impossible for foreigners to access information sources from outside China. Looks like i left at the right time.

Xi Jinping and other world leaders had the chance to witness Europe during the weekend. "This is what democracy looks like", thats straight from the mouth of our looting activists. Needless to say, most continents want to avoid becoming another Europe.

Bet Xi was watching the smoke rising around Hamburg and thought its time to close the VPN.

I bet that wasn't it.

Think he planned to close them long before Hamburg. Makes me appreciate living in the philippines with unrestricted internet, cheap first run movies that have not been censored, and cable tv filled with western television.

I doubt if either Hamburg or "looting activists" have much to do with it - the government directly controlling the flow of information and opinion is is nothing new in China. But I admit the question remains: why now (supposing this event projected for next February will indeed occur)? I don't have an answer, but I think it's more to do with attractions of Europe and other areas, and ideas that may come from them, than with 'looting activists', or any sudden epiphany in Hamburg.
Anyway, I'm willing to wait around for February and see what happens - I'm using my VPN now.

Old man Alien still got excited seeing his pals burn cars and loot shops, so the word 'looting' - that contains a negative connotation - needs to be put in quotation marks. This was, obviously just a protest. Protest against the evil forces that never made people anyone.

evil forces that made 1% much richer, and does not care about 50% including those that are literally suffering to maintain the wealth, meanwhild hollowing out the middle classes. the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and even the middleclass get poorer. if you dont believe me, just look at how many people have had no real pay increases in the last 10 years. no/low pay increase

+ inflation = falling standards of living and quality of life.

Whenever I read stuff about vpns, King Canute comes to mind.

King Canute does spring to mind, but who knows what tricks the VPNs have up their sleeves. I am watching The Wire at the moment, it is usually a game of catch up and then change up.