China's trial visa-free travel to Russia has brought new opportunities for the fastener industry

David Dai

sales

Ningbo Zhongli Bolts Manufacturing Co., Ltd. founded in 2003, is a professional manufacturer of high-strength fasteners in different specifications for various models, which is covering an area of about 10,000 square meters, registered capital of 1500,000 RMB, with the total annual productivity of 8,000 tons per year. The company has set up several sales branches in different provinces in China. Meanwhile, the company's products are exported to Europe, USA, Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and other regions.

In September 2025, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun announced that to facilitate the movement of Chinese and foreign personnel, China will implement a unilateral visa-free policy for Russian holders of ordinary passports from September 15, 2025 to September 14, 2026. Those who stay for no more than 30 days can enter Russia visa-free to engage in business, tourism and other activities.

This major move, launched under the strategic guidance of the heads of state of China and Russia, not only vividly demonstrates the high-level development of the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries in the new era, but also injects strong impetus into bilateral economic and trade exchanges. For Chinese fastener enterprises, this policy is undoubtedly a major benefit, indicating that the expansion of business with Russia will enter a new stage that is more convenient and efficient.

Fasteners, as the "rice of industry", rely heavily on in-depth communication and trust for trade and cooperation. Previously, the time, financial cost and uncertainty of visa processing were an invisible threshold between Chinese and Russian enterprises, especially small and medium-sized ones.

What positive impacts does this measure have on the fastener industry：

1. Business negotiation efficiency has been greatly enhanced: After the implementation of the visa-free policy, Russian purchasers, engineers and business decision-makers can almost "set off at any time" to visit factories, inspect goods on the spot, conduct technical consultations and face-to-face negotiations in China. This has greatly shortened the decision-making cycle of orders, enabling Chinese enterprises to respond more quickly to Russian demands and seize market opportunities.

2. Increased willingness to participate in and visit exhibitions: China holds numerous international hardware, fastener and industrial exhibitions every year (such as the Shanghai Fastener Professional Exhibition from June 24th to 26th, 2026, etc.). The visa-free policy will greatly stimulate the willingness of Russian professional buyers and provide Chinese fastener enterprises with more valuable opportunities to showcase their flagship products, contact potential customers and directly obtain orders.

3. Facilitation of after-sales service and technical support: For Chinese fastener enterprises that have already established a presence in the Russian market, the visa-free policy enables their technical service and sales teams to travel to the local area more flexibly and promptly to solve product application issues, provide technical training and support, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction and brand loyalty and consolidating their market position.