How to create a VM that located in China?

Hongjun Xie - To create a VM located in China, you must use Azure China (operated by 21Vianet) and not the global Azure cloud.

Select one of the China regions during VM creation, such as: (https://docs.azure.cn/en-us/virtual-machines/regions)

1. China East / China East 2 / China East 3
2. China North / China North 2 / China North 3

Note - Azure China is separate from global Azure and requires a China (21Vianet) subscription; global Azure subscriptions cannot deploy VMs in China regions.

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To create an Azure VM located in China, select one of the Azure China regions when choosing the VM’s region during creation. Azure in China is a physically and logically separated instance of Azure, operated by 21Vianet, with its own regions such as China East, China North, and newer regions like China North 3.

Key points:

1. Azure China is separate from global Azure
   • Azure in China is operated by 21Vianet and is physically separated from global Azure datacenters.
   • Services and regions are distinct from global regions like “East US” or “West Europe”.
2. Choose a China region at VM creation
   • When creating a VM, pick a region that corresponds to Azure China, for example:
     • China East
     • China North
     • China North 3 (for services like Azure VM Image Builder in public preview)
   • These regions are specifically listed as special regions in Azure for compliance and legal requirements.
3. Image Builder and China North 3 (if relevant)
   • If using Azure VM Image Builder in China, use China North 3 and register the Microsoft.VirtualMachineImages/MooncakePublicPreview feature to access the public preview in that region.
4. Connectivity and latency considerations
   • Azure in China has its own datacenters in eastern and northern China, over 1,000 km apart, providing geo-replication and business continuity.
   • Network latency across the China/global boundary is higher; for workloads targeting users in mainland China, keep compute and data inside China regions.

In practice, when creating the VM in the Azure portal or via CLI/ARM/Bicep, select one of the China regions (such as China East, China North, or China North 3) in the Region/Location field to ensure the VM is located in China.

References:

• Azure in China datacenters
• Regions for virtual machines in Azure
• Azure VM Image Builder overview
• Create an Azure Image Builder Bicep or ARM template JSON template
• Service availability and roadmaps for Microsoft Azure operated by 21Vianet
• Interconnect with China using Azure Virtual WAN and Secure Hub
• Power Platform and Dynamics 365 apps operated by 21Vianet in China
• Create Azure Local virtual machines enabled by Azure Arc for multi-rack deployments (preview)