This paper explores the evolution of China’s Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) and situates it within the context of global data protection development. It draws inspiration from the theory of ‘Brussels Effect’ and its precedents, that describes the extraterritorial influence of EU regulations. Our objective is not to provide a commentary on China’s legal development but to illuminate the intricate dynamics between the Chinese law and the EU’s GDPR. It is argued that the trajectory of China’s Personal Information Protection Law calls into question the applicability of the Brussels Effect: while the GDPR’s imprint on the PIPL is evident, a deeper analysis unveils China’s nuanced, non-linear adoption that diverges from many assumptions of the Brussels Effect and similar theories. The evolution of the GDPR-inspired PIPL is not as a straightforward outcome of the Brussels Effect but as a nuanced, intricate interplay of external influence and domestic dynamics. We introduce a complementary theory of ‘gravity assist’ which portrays China’s strategic instrumentalisation of the GDPR as a template to shape its unique data protection landscape. Our conceptual framework highlights how China navigates through a patchwork of internal considerations, international standards, and strategic choices, ultimately sculpting a data protection regime that has a similar appearance to the GDPR but aligns with its distinct political, cultural and legal landscape. This reveals much about how China takes in the foundational premises of data protection that are inherently built in Europe’s cherishment of the rule of law, democracy and human rights on the one hand, and the evaluation of data protection as a fundamental right. Based on a detailed historical and policy analysis of the PIPL, and reasonable speculations on its future avenues, we substantiate this theory and argue that this strategic, instrumental approach to alignment underscores the limitations of applying the Brussels Effect and similar theoretical frameworks to a non-Western jurisdiction like China.