diff --git a/src/content/posts/using-chinese-llm-apis-from-malaysia.md b/src/content/posts/using-chinese-llm-apis-from-malaysia.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..13a024f --- /dev/null +++ b/src/content/posts/using-chinese-llm-apis-from-malaysia.md @@ -0,0 +1,130 @@ +--- +title: "Using Chinese LLM APIs From Malaysia: What Actually Works" +description: "Using Chinese LLM APIs (GLM-5.3, DeepSeek V4) from Malaysia: how I paid in RMB, handled phone verification, and which providers actually work." +pubDate: 2026-09-11 +category: ai +tags: [llm, api, deepseek, glm, alipay, malaysia] +draft: false +--- + +Chinese frontier models — GLM-5.3, DeepSeek V4, Qwen3.8-Max, Kimi K3 — now +score close to Claude on coding benchmarks while costing a fraction of Western +frontier APIs. For a solo developer or a small business running AI automation, +that price difference is the difference between "AI that pays for itself" and +"AI that's too expensive to run." + +But using them from Malaysia means crossing three walls first: paying in RMB, +passing mainland-China phone verification, and (on some platforms) real-name +(实名) registration. This is what I actually did, what broke, and what I'd do +differently. + +## Why bother? + +Chinese API pricing is often 3–10× cheaper than the equivalent Western model. +As of this writing, DeepSeek's V4.1 Flash is around **US$0.15–0.30 per 1M +input tokens and US$0.60–1.20 per 1M output tokens** (off-peak hours are half +price; cached input is ~20× cheaper still). A US$10 top-up goes a long way — +tens of millions of tokens for agent workloads if you route carefully. + +The catch: most of these platforms are built for mainland developers. That +means Chinese payment rails and, frequently, a mainland phone number for SMS +verification. + +## Wall #1 — paying in RMB + +I already had my own Alipay account, which is the payment method most of these +platforms accept (Alipay top-up on the platform itself, or Alipay to pay a +gateway). The problem is keeping RMB in it from Malaysia. + +I reload my Alipay RMB balance through an exchange contact I've used for many +top-ups. It's a common gray-market route in Malaysia — do your own due +diligence, and never send more than you're comfortable losing. Once the RMB is +in Alipay, paying for API credits is exactly like paying for anything else in +China. + +## Wall #2 — phone verification + +**TokenRhythm (基元律动)** — the gateway I use most — requires a mainland China +phone number for registration. There's no way around that requirement on their +side, and I won't recommend dodging it. If you don't have access to a mainland +number, platforms like DeepSeek (email signup) or BytePlus ModelArk (Singapore, +USD billing) let you skip this wall entirely — more on those below. + +What made TokenRhythm worth the hassle: + +- **One API key, OpenAI-compatible.** It aggregates GLM-5.3, Qwen3.8-Max, + DeepSeek V4, Kimi K2.7-Code, MiniMax, and Seed models behind a standard + `https://tokenrhythm.studio/v1` endpoint. Any agent that speaks OpenAI-style + APIs (OpenCode, Claude Code, LiteLLM, my own bots) just works. +- **Referral credits.** Registering through an invite link gets you ¥68 (~US$10) + in free credit; referring another registration gets you another ¥68. The + reward unlocks after you install their desktop app (OpenSquilla) and make at + least one call from it — after that, the same API key works in any agent. +- **The credit is real money.** ¥68 (about US$10) covered roughly a month of + light agent work, or about a week of heavy sessions, with DeepSeek V4 Pro + through the gateway. DeepSeek's pricing is genuinely very good, so the credit + goes further than you'd expect. + +## The gotcha nobody warns you about + +Promotional credit on these platforms is **time-limited, not a balance**. +TokenRhythm's new-user credit expires 30 days after it's granted — my first +batch expired on 2026-09-03 with some still unused. Don't register and hoard +the credit for "later". Spend it, or lose it. + +Also worth knowing: DeepSeek is retiring its V4 Pro model on **September 14, +2026** — after that, `deepseek-v4-pro` requests are served by V4.1 Flash and +billed at Flash prices. That's good news for cost, just don't expect the Pro +behaviour to stay the same (other replacements will come). + +## What actually works, in order of friction + +1. **DeepSeek directly** — email signup, no China phone, no real-name. + Cheapest per-token of anything I use. The official docs list the current + rates with a peak/off-peak split. +2. **TokenRhythm (基元律动)** — best model menu for the money, OpenAI-compatible, + but you need the mainland phone number and an invite link for the ¥68 credit. +3. **BytePlus ModelArk** — ByteDance's international platform: Singapore + entity, USD billing, no China phone, and data processed in Malaysia/Singapore + region. Slightly pricier per token, far less friction. +4. **OpenCode Go** — US$10/month flat for a curated roster of open coding + models (GLM, DeepSeek, Kimi, Qwen, MiniMax) with roughly 6× the usage value. + Not Chinese-billing at all, which is exactly its point. + +## What I'd do differently + +- **Check the verification requirements before signing up.** Email-only + platforms (DeepSeek) or international platforms (BytePlus, OpenCode Go) avoid + the phone wall completely. Only reach for the mainland-phone platforms when + their model menu or price genuinely beats the alternatives. +- **Burn promotional credit immediately.** It's a 30-day lease, not a balance. +- **Start with a small recharge.** Test the actual model on your real workload + for a week before committing. +- **Re-check prices before each top-up.** Chinese API pricing moves fast — DeepSeek + cut prices permanently this year, GLM runs periodic flash promos, and deals + appear and vanish weekly. Never assume last month's price is this month's. + +## The result + +I now run my AI automation — Telegram support bots, agentic coding sessions, +background LLM jobs — on Chinese LLM APIs for roughly the price of a coffee per +week of active use. The ¥68 TokenRhythm credit alone covered a month of light +use (a week of heavy work), and a US$10 DeepSeek top-up lasts even longer at +V4.1 Flash prices. + +The walls are real, but they're payment-rail and verification walls — not +quality walls. If you're building AI features for a business that needs to +actually make money, the Chinese frontier APIs are worth the setup. + +--- + +## Want AI automation like this for your business? + +I build AI-powered automations, Telegram/WhatsApp support bots, websites, and +self-hosted infrastructure for Malaysian businesses — and I set up the cheapest +LLM routing so your running costs stay small. If that could help your business, +I'd love to talk: + +- 📱 **WhatsApp:** [+60 12-797 2969](https://wa.me/60127972969) +- 📧 **Email:** [me@hoelee.com](mailto:me@hoelee.com) +- 🌐 **Website:** [hoelee.com](https://hoelee.com) diff --git a/src/content/posts/zh/using-chinese-llm-apis-from-malaysia.md b/src/content/posts/zh/using-chinese-llm-apis-from-malaysia.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..abfb1f2 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/content/posts/zh/using-chinese-llm-apis-from-malaysia.md @@ -0,0 +1,113 @@ +--- +title: "从马来西亚使用中国大模型 API:真正可行的方法" +description: "从马来西亚使用中国大模型 API(GLM-5.3、DeepSeek V4):我如何用人民币付款、处理手机验证,以及哪些平台真正可用。" +pubDate: 2026-09-11 +category: ai +tags: [llm, api, deepseek, glm, alipay, malaysia] +draft: false +--- + +中国的顶级模型——GLM-5.3、DeepSeek V4、Qwen3.8-Max、Kimi K3——在编程评测中 +已经接近 Claude,价格却只有西方顶级 API 的几分之一。对于独立开发者或要靠 +AI 自动化盈利的小企业来说,这个差价就是"AI 能回本"和"AI 贵到用不起"的区别。 + +但从马来西亚使用它们,要先跨过三道墙:用人民币付款、通过中国大陆手机号 +验证、以及部分平台要求的实名注册。下面是我实际做了什么、踩过什么坑、以及 +重来一次我会怎么改。 + +## 为什么值得折腾? + +中国 API 的价格通常比同等西方模型便宜 3–10 倍。截至本文写作时,DeepSeek +V4.1 Flash 大约是**每百万输入 tokens 0.15–0.30 美元、每百万输出 tokens +0.60–1.20 美元**(非高峰时段半价;缓存命中的输入便宜约 20 倍)。充 10 美元 +能用很久——只要合理路由,agent 工作负载能跑数千万 tokens。 + +问题在于:这些平台大多是为主陆开发者设计的。这意味着中国的支付渠道, +而且经常要求大陆手机号接收短信验证码。 + +## 第一道墙——用人民币付款 + +我本来就有自己的支付宝账号,这也是这些平台普遍接受的支付方式(直接在 +平台充值,或用支付宝付给网关)。难点在于从马来西亚给支付宝的人民币余额 +充值。 + +我是通过长期合作的换汇联系人给支付宝充人民币的。这是马来西亚常见的灰色 +渠道——请自行判断风险,永远不要转超过你能承受损失的钱。人民币进了支付宝 +之后,买 API 额度就跟在中国买任何东西一样简单。 + +## 第二道墙——手机验证 + +**基元律动(TokenRhythm)**——我最常用的聚合网关——注册时必须提供 +中国大陆手机号。这是他们平台的硬性要求,我也不打算推荐任何绕过手段。 +如果你没有大陆号码,DeepSeek(邮箱注册)或 BytePlus ModelArk(新加坡、 +美元结算)可以完全跳过这道墙——下面会详述。 + +基元律动值得麻烦的原因: + +- **一个 API Key,OpenAI 兼容。** 聚合了 GLM-5.3、Qwen3.8-Max、DeepSeek V4、 + Kimi K2.7-Code、MiniMax、Seed 等模型,统一走标准 + `https://tokenrhythm.studio/v1` 端点。任何支持 OpenAI 风格的 agent + (OpenCode、Claude Code、LiteLLM、我自己写的机器人)开箱即用。 +- **邀请返利。** 通过邀请链接注册送 ¥68(约 10 美元)额度;再邀请别人注册 + 又得 ¥68。奖励需要先安装他们的桌面应用(OpenSquilla)并在里面调用至少 + 一次才能解锁——之后同一个 API Key 就能用在任何 agent 上。 +- **额度是真金白银。** ¥68(约 10 美元)大概够一个月左右的轻度 agent 工作, + 重度使用大约一周(走网关调用 DeepSeek V4 Pro)。DeepSeek 的价格真的很 + 便宜,额度比想象中耐用。 + +## 没人提醒你的坑 + +这些平台的赠送额度是**限时的,不是余额**。基元律动的新用户额度在发放后 +30 天过期——我第一批额度在 2026-09-03 过期时还剩一些没用完。不要注册完 +就囤着"以后再用",要么用掉,要么浪费掉。 + +另外值得注意:DeepSeek 将在 **2026 年 9 月 14 日** 退役 V4 Pro 模型—— +之后 `deepseek-v4-pro` 的请求会由 V4.1 Flash 提供服务并按 Flash 价格计费。 +这对成本是好消息,只是别再指望原来的 Pro 表现(后续会有其他替代)。 + +## 按摩擦程度排序,真正可行的方案 + +1. **DeepSeek 官方 API** —— 邮箱注册,不需要中国手机号,不需要实名。 + 我用过的所有方案里单 token 最便宜。官方文档有当前价格(含高峰/非高峰 + 分时计价)。 +2. **基元律动(TokenRhythm)** —— 同样价格下模型菜单最全,OpenAI 兼容, + 但需要大陆手机号和邀请链接才能拿 ¥68 额度。 +3. **BytePlus ModelArk** —— 字节跳动的国际平台:新加坡主体、美元结算、 + 不需要中国手机号,数据在新加坡/马来西亚区域处理。单 token 略贵, + 但摩擦小得多。 +4. **OpenCode Go** —— 每月 10 美元,精选开源编程模型(GLM、DeepSeek、 + Kimi、Qwen、MiniMax),用量价值约为订阅费的 6 倍。完全不涉及人民币 + 结算——这正是它的卖点。 + +## 重来一次我会怎么做 + +- **注册前先查验证要求。** 只用邮箱的平台(DeepSeek)或国际平台 + (BytePlus、OpenCode Go)能完全避开手机号这道墙。只有当它们的模型菜单 + 或价格确实优于替代方案时,才去碰要求大陆手机号的平台。 +- **赠送额度立刻用掉。** 那是 30 天的租约,不是余额。 +- **先小额充值。** 用你的真实工作负载测试一个星期,再决定投入多少。 +- **每次充值前重新查价格。** 中国 API 价格变动很快——DeepSeek 今年已永久 + 降价,GLM 不定期做 flash 促销,优惠每周都在变。永远不要假设上个月的价格 + 还是这个月的。 + +## 结果 + +我现在用中国大模型 API 跑我的 AI 自动化——Telegram 客服机器人、agent 编程 +会话、后台 LLM 任务——活跃使用时每周成本大约一杯咖啡。基元律动的 ¥68 额度 +就覆盖了大约一个月(轻度)或一周(重度)的真实工作,而 10 美元的 DeepSeek +充值按 V4.1 Flash 的价格能用更久。 + +那些墙是真实的,但它们是支付渠道和验证的墙——不是质量的墙。如果你在为一个 +真正需要盈利的业务做 AI 功能,中国顶级 API 值得这些前期投入。 + +--- + +## 想要这样的 AI 自动化吗? + +我为马来西亚企业搭建 AI 自动化、Telegram/WhatsApp 客服机器人、网站和 +自托管基础设施——并且会帮你配置最省钱的 LLM 路由,让运行成本保持很低。 +如果你觉得这对你的业务有帮助,欢迎联系我: + +- 📱 **WhatsApp:** [+60 12-797 2969](https://wa.me/60127972969) +- 📧 **邮箱:** [me@hoelee.com](mailto:me@hoelee.com) +- 🌐 **网站:** [hoelee.com](https://hoelee.com)