Yo, I just did this last week! You 100% need a VPN. I used Surfshark, and it worked fine. The key is to make sure your VPN is connected before you even open the Gmail page. Otherwise, it’ll just time out.
Also, use a phone number from outside China if you can. Sometimes the verification texts don’t go through with a Chinese number. Good luck!
Also, use a phone number from outside China if you can. Sometimes the verification texts don’t go through with a Chinese number. Good luck!