Over three decades ago, the internet entered China as a new medium inherently equipped with international communication attributes. Today, international communication has risen to the level of a national strategic priority—an outcome not only of China's own developmental trajectory but also of the global proliferation of the internet. To fully grasp China's strategic position and contemporary mission in international communication, it is imperative to re-examine the internet's essential role and historical evolution as foundational infrastructure for cross-border communication. It also calls for a critical reflection on the long-standing cognitive separation between international and domestic communication. Revisiting this trajectory and re-centering the internet's transformation from an “inward-facing” to an “outward-facing” infrastructure is key to achieving breakthroughs in China's international communication. Looking ahead to the next thirty years of the internet, the challenges of China's international communication will not only be limited to the traditional levels of technology, application, market and policy, but will also go deeper into the “deep-water zone” of how China can truly go global and deeply integrate with the rest of the world.