This is quite different to the blanket crackdown that Bloomberg originally reported. Yet, given China's history of proclaiming one thing while the reality is often entirely different –- it would be wise to take this statement with a truckload of salt.

If true, however, the Ministry's vague position on person VPN use could be an encouraging sign for those in China who want more than just a heavily censored version of the internet. With China even opting to create its own version of Wikipedia, allowing its citizens to continue using VPNs seems entirely at odds with the country's desire to control everything its people see online.