China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau but the Great Firewall is not in effect in those places. You can access the unrestricted internet without a VPN, although you can still use one just to protect your internet privacy. However, privacy in Hong Kong is increasingly threatened by Beijing's proposed national security laws which have led to a reported surge in VPN use.
If you’re in mainland China and are searching for information online about Taiwan and Hong Kong, much of that information is likely to be censored.