Gemini API in China — no VPN, no foreign card

Google's Gemini API is not reachable from Mainland China: the endpoints are blocked and billing requires a foreign card. Router One puts Gemini-family models behind its China-reachable, OpenAI-compatible endpoint — same key that reaches GPT, Claude, and DeepSeek, with a cost trace per request.

Measured latency: VPN vs Router One

Based on the China latency benchmark last updated 2026-05-15, Router One measured 110-130ms p50 across Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen; individual networks may vary.

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 WeChat Pay, Alipay, Stripe, or 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 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