N7105 (note 2 lte) can't browse web via browsers in China

[AC Question]

Hi, for some reason my n7105's browsers (chrome, firefox, the native "internet" android browser). It runs Jelly Bean.

Basically what happened is that I downloaded the Samsung Cisco AnyConnect VPN app, which wouldn't work with my data network (China Unicom's LTE/3G network). I went to my company's IT guy who manages our VPN client, he fiddled around with USSD codes and various settings, and failed to solve the problem. A side effect was this browser problem. I downloaded an alternate, more barebones version of the Cisco app (since the Samsung Cisco app works for Note 2 and 3, but not perhaps Note 2 LTE), which works--I can access all services and use my browsers when running the VPN with the China data network. But, the problem remains that I can't use browsers at all if I'm just trying to use the data network without the VPN (It's a battery drainer, so I want to use it sparingly). The chinese chat app WeChat works fine for some reason, as do other non-blocked apps. It's just the browsers (and of course, all apps and services blocked by the Great Firewall).

Any help or suggestions?
Thanks!