Can I use Zoom, Teams, Webex, Google Meet or Slack for work while in China?

Each company decides what it allows in mainland China, and the network you connect through decides the rest. Below is what each company says itself, read on 6 October 2026. Run a test call from the hotel network and from your phone data in the first hours of the trip, not right before an important meeting.

Zoom: Zoom says users in China are encouraged to upgrade to a licensed version. If you see error code 13215, Zoom's support answer says the host must upgrade to a paid account, or you must sign in to a paid Zoom account and then join. The order matters: in 2020 Zoom moved to selling in mainland China only through local partners and said users there could still join meetings as participants; from 2023 free accounts in China began hitting error 13215. Practical reading: join from a paid work account, or ask the host whether theirs is paid.

Webex: Cisco says the free version of the Webex App is not available for use in mainland China, and that it cannot sell Webex Meetings or Webex App paid subscriptions there. Its help centre also notes that Google Play is unavailable in mainland China, and links a direct Android download for the Webex Meetings app. If your employer pays for Webex abroad, ask IT whether China is covered before you rely on it.

Microsoft Teams: Microsoft has guidance for enterprise users located in China who connect to a global Microsoft 365 tenant, which is what a visitor with a work account abroad is doing. It says performance can suffer from congestion on China's regulated cross-border links, especially for audio and video; it does not say the service fails to connect. Teams inside China, operated by 21Vianet, is a separate service that Microsoft does not run; your usual work account is not on it.

Google Meet: we found no Google page on use from mainland China networks. Google's apps need the same arrangements as Gmail and Maps; see Google and WhatsApp on a travel eSIM.

Slack: we found no statement from Slack on use from mainland China. The press reported that on 1 April 2026 Slack deactivated workspaces with billing addresses in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Before you travel, ask your workspace admin whether you can use Slack from China.

The connection matters as much as the app. On a travel eSIM bought abroad, data often leaves the mainland network; on hotel Wi-Fi or a local SIM it does not. Your employer's VPN or a personal one covers the laptop; read VPN for China travel and check your company's policy first.