The Real Problem
Every week I see developers asking the same question: "How do I use DeepSeek API from outside China?"
The official answer is always some variation of:
- Try a Chinese friend's phone number (not practical)
- Use Wise → Alipay workaround (complex, fees eat savings)
- Go through a reseller (2-10x markup)
But there's a simpler answer now.
Token China: Free Trial, No Phone Required
Token China gives you 100,000 free tokens the moment you sign up. No credit card. No Chinese phone. Just connect your GitHub account and start coding.
What You Get Free
| Tier | Tokens | How |
|---|---|---|
| Signup Bonus | 100K | Create account via GitHub |
| Referral Bonus | +100K | Each friend who joins via your invite link |
| Referrer Bonus | +100K | For the friend you referred |
That's enough to run thousands of API calls and decide if it works for you.
What's Under the Hood
Token China is an OpenAI-compatible gateway for Chinese LLMs:
| Model | Type | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek V4 Pro | Reasoning | Complex coding, math, analysis |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | Chat | Fast daily use, low cost |
| GLM 5.1 | General | Tool calling, Chinese tasks |
| GLM 5V Turbo | Vision | OCR, image analysis |
Same API format. One key for all four.
Quick Start (30 Seconds)
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
api_key="sk-your-key",
base_url="https://token-china.cc/v1"
)
response = client.chat.completions.create(
model="deepseek-v4-flash",
messages=[{"role":"user","content":"Hello!"}]
)
Works with LangChain, LlamaIndex, OpenWebUI, LobeChat, NextChat — anything that speaks OpenAI format.
Why I Built This
I got tired of the runaround. Every Chinese AI provider requires a local phone number for verification. Every workaround is fragile. So I set up a VPS in Singapore, built a Go-based API gateway, and made it available to anyone with a GitHub account.
The stack: Go backend + React frontend on Vultr Singapore. ~18MB RAM idle. No bloat.
What About Privacy?
- Server is in Singapore, not mainland China
- No Chinese phone verification (no data shared with Chinese carriers)
- OpenAI-compatible means your existing encryption/tooling works
- Self-hosted infrastructure, not a white-label reseller
Get Started
- Go to token-china.cc
- Sign in with GitHub
- Grab your API key from the dashboard
- Change
base_urlin your existing code
Your 100K free tokens are waiting.
P.S. Know someone else dealing with this? Share your invite link from the dashboard and you both get 100K extra tokens.
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