Ask HN: How to safely collaborate with team member (temp) in China?

A person goes to China for a month, visiting family and they want to continue to collaborate with team while there.

VPN seems to be a no-brainer, but even in that scenario - VPN's allowed to operate in China, most likely collaborate with the Chinese government?

Is there a secure way to get access to company data and systems of a western company while traveling in China?