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Router One

Gemini API in China — no VPN, no foreign card

Router One makes Gemini models callable from Mainland China without a VPN or foreign card: the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint https://api.router.one/v1 and key that reach GPT, Claude and Grok, billed per token with a cost trace for every request. Google's own Gemini endpoints are blocked for mainland networks and bill to a foreign card; the gateway removes both blockers.

Direct access, no VPN

Gemini models answer through the OpenAI-compatible endpoint at https://api.router.one/v1. Review the published benchmark below before relying on any point-in-time network result.

Million-token context

Gemini's long-context models (up to 1M tokens on select models) are in the catalog with live pricing — long documents, codebases, and multimodal inputs included.

Pay in RMB

Top up with a card or Alipay through one hosted checkout, or with USDT/USDC on six chains. Metered per token, pay-as-you-go — no Google Cloud billing account needed.

Review the China latency benchmark

This setup guide does not make a separate latency promise. The published snapshot, last updated 2026-05-15, covers Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen on China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile in a rolling 7-day window. It is not an SLA, and individual networks may vary; review the full method and caveats before judging fit for your workload.

Read the published benchmark

Gemini models in the catalog

Model IDs as you pass them in the model field — the lineup follows the live catalog, and current per-token rates, context windows, and capability tags are on the models page. The newer listings — Gemini 3.8 Flash, Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite and Gemini 2.5 Pro — are covered in the September 2026 new-model guide at /blog/new-llm-models-september-2026.

Model IDWhat it is
google/gemini-3.1-pro-preview1M context, text and image input; listed again in the 2026-09-09 snapshot. Check live rates and capability tags.
google/gemini-3.8-flash1M context and image input in the current catalog; check live rates and capability tags before selecting.
google/gemini-3.7-flash1M context, vision and tool calling; compare live rates using the same workload.
google/gemini-3.6-flash1M context, vision and tool calling; compare live rates using the same workload.
google/gemini-3.5-flash1M context, vision and tool calling; compare live rates using the same workload.
google/gemini-3-flash1M context, vision and tool calling; the only id that accepts the google_search hosted tool on Chat Completions (see the FAQ). Compare live rates using the same workload.
google/gemini-3-flash-preview1M context and image input in the current catalog; check live rates and capability tags before selecting.
google/gemini-3.1-flash-lite1M context and image input in the current catalog; check live rates and capability tags before selecting.
google/gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview1M context and image input in the current catalog; check live rates and capability tags before selecting.
google/gemini-2.5-pro1M context and image input in the current catalog; check live rates and capability tags before selecting.
See live Gemini model pricing

3-step setup

Any OpenAI-compatible client works — set the base URL, pick a Gemini model ID from the catalog, and call.

  1. 1Create a Router One API keySign up at router.one and create an API key in the dashboard. Top up with a card or Alipay on the hosted checkout, or with USDT/USDC — no foreign credit card required.
  2. 2Point your client at the gatewaySet the base URL to https://api.router.one/v1 in the OpenAI SDK or any compatible tool, and use a Gemini model ID copied from the /models page.
  3. 3Send a request and verifyMake a chat completion call, then open Dashboard → Logs to see the trace: model, tokens, latency, and cost for the request.
gemini-via-router-one.sh
# Gemini via the OpenAI-compatible endpoint
curl -X POST https://api.router.one/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-router-one-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model": "<gemini-model-id>",
       "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "你好"}]}'

No low fixed cap for normal paid usage. Abuse prevention, per-account protection limits, and upstream constraints may still apply; if a request returns 429, check Dashboard -> Logs or contact support to raise limits.

FAQ

Why can't I call the Gemini API directly from China?

Google blocks its Generative AI endpoints for Mainland China network space, and billing requires a foreign card. A VPN adds latency and instability; a China-reachable gateway avoids both.

Which Gemini models are available?

The chat IDs listed in the 2026-09-09 snapshot are google/gemini-3.1-pro-preview, google/gemini-3.8-flash, google/gemini-3.7-flash, google/gemini-3.6-flash, google/gemini-3.5-flash, google/gemini-3-flash, google/gemini-3-flash-preview, google/gemini-3.1-flash-lite, google/gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview, google/gemini-2.5-pro. Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview is listed again; the older Gemini 3 Pro Preview remains absent. Check /models for live prices and capability tags.

Do I use Google's SDK?

No — you call Gemini models through the OpenAI-compatible interface: the official OpenAI SDK, curl, or any compatible client. Vision input works via standard image_url content parts.

How does pricing compare to official rates?

Billing is metered per token with discounted rates on select models — the /models page shows every Gemini model's current effective price, struck through against its base rate.

Can a Gemini model search the web through the gateway?

On google/gemini-3-flash, yes. Send tools: [{"type": "google_search"}] with tool_choice: "auto" (or web_search_options: {}) on POST /v1/chat/completions; the model decides whether to search, and the sources it grounded on come back as url_citation annotations — choices[0].message.annotations on a normal reply, choices[0].delta.annotations on a stream. Billing is at the model's posted token rates with no separate search line. Other Gemini ids do not get this treatment: the tools array is forwarded as sent and a tool type the model rejects returns a 400. The API compatibility facts state the full rule.

Is there a detailed setup guide?

Yes — the Gemini API China guide on the blog walks through configuration step by step, including model selection and common errors.

Choose the next step for Gemini API access

This page covers first Gemini access from China. Use the pages below to select a model, confirm the API contract, follow a detailed guide, or fund the shared wallet.

Start calling Gemini from China

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