Can I visit China visa-free for a business trip?

If you hold an ordinary passport from one of roughly 50 countries - including most of Europe, the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Korea, Brazil and much of South America - you may enter China for up to 30 days without applying for a visa. Business meetings, factory visits and trade fairs are covered. Carry a return ticket, hotel bookings and an invitation letter as backup evidence.

What does it cost to hire an interpreter for a factory visit in China?

As a market range, escort interpreting costs roughly 600 to 1,200 RMB per day, exhibition booth interpreting 800 to 1,500 RMB, and technical or negotiation interpreting 1,000 to 2,500 RMB or more. Rates rise for specialist sectors, travel outside the city and weekend work. Always brief the interpreter with your glossary before the meeting.

How much does shipping from China cost?

Sea freight is priced by volume. A full container costs a fixed amount per container regardless of how full it is, so it suits shipments above roughly 15 cubic metres. Below that, less-than-container load is charged per cubic metre or per tonne, whichever is greater, plus fixed documentation and handling fees on both ends that often exceed the freight itself on small shipments. Air freight is charged on chargeable weight and suits urgent or high-value cargo.

When should quality inspection happen?

The standard point is pre-shipment inspection, when production is finished and at least 80 percent of the order is packed. Random samples are then checked against the AQL sampling standard. Inline inspection during production catches problems while they can still be fixed, and container loading supervision confirms that what was approved is actually what is loaded.

Business trips to China, explained by someone who does them

One China Trip is a free handbook for overseas buyers coming to China to visit factories, walk trade fairs and meet suppliers. Every guide is written from everyday experience in China’s export business — what to prepare, what things actually cost, what goes wrong, and how it gets sorted. No supplier lists, no commissions, nothing to buy.

Plain answers to the questions buyers actually ask: Can I enter visa-free and use it for business? How do I pay for a taxi? What does a factory interpreter cost per day? Should I ship LCL or FCL? When should goods be inspected? Each question below links to a page that answers it properly.

The trip, end to end

Most guides organise by topic. This one follows the order you actually live it — from deciding whether you can enter, to getting the goods on the water.

Who this is for

You are…	And you need…	Start here
A buyer or sourcing manager First trip to China, or first in years	Entry rules, getting around, how a factory visit actually runs	Visa-free entry · Factory visits
A company owner or trader Coming for Canton Fair, CHINAPLAS or a sector expo	Badge registration, venues, halls, hotels, moving around the city	Canton Fair · CHINAPLAS 2027
An engineer or QA lead Auditing a supplier or checking a shipment	Audit and inspection routines, AQL, what to photograph, what to write down	Quality inspection
Anyone shipping goods out of China Samples, trial orders, full containers	Freight options, realistic costs, documents, who pays for what	Shipping & freight

Written in plain English for readers whose first language is not English — Russian, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic and Turkish buyers included.

Who this is not for

This site deliberately stops short of selling anything. Three things you will never find here:

Supplier recommendations — we do not name factories, rank them, or take a fee for introductions. Once a site is paid to recommend someone, its advice stops being honest.
Visa or document processing — we explain how it works and link to the authorities. Nobody here fills in forms on your behalf.
Sightseeing — there is plenty of travel content elsewhere. This site covers business travel only: getting in, getting around, getting the work done and getting the goods out.

Four questions we get every week

Can I enter China visa-free and use it for business?

For most European, UK, Australian, Japanese, Korean and much of South American passport holders, yes — up to 30 days, covering meetings, factory visits and trade fairs. Keep a return ticket, hotel bookings and an invitation letter on hand; border officers occasionally ask for them. The full country list and the fine print →

What does an interpreter cost, and do I need one at the factory?

Realistic market rates are roughly 600–1,200 RMB/day for escort interpreting, 800–1,500 for a fair booth, and 1,000–2,500+ for technical negotiation. For a factory audit or any negotiation you care about, yes — bring your own interpreter rather than relying on the supplier’s English-speaking salesperson. Rates, vetting and briefing →

Should I ship LCL, a full container, or air?

As a rough rule: below about 15 cubic metres, go LCL (shared container, priced per CBM or tonne, whichever is greater). Above roughly 20 CBM, a full container is usually cheaper even if it is not completely full. Samples and urgent, high-value goods go by air. On small shipments the fixed local fees matter more than the freight rate — always ask for an all-in quote. Shipping costs and documents →

Do I need to inspect before shipping?

If the order is worth more than you are willing to lose, yes. Book a pre-shipment inspection when goods are finished and at least 80% packed, checked against an AQL sampling standard, with photos you receive before you release the balance payment. Inspection types and AQL basics →

Free calculators

Two things every buyer ends up doing on a phone keyboard. Use ours instead — no sign-up, works offline.

Currency converter

USD, EUR, GBP, RUB, TRY, JPY to RMB and back, with the mid-market rate you can edit yourself.

Unit & volume calculator

kg to lb, metres to feet, cartons to CBM, chargeable weight for air freight.

Shipping cost logic

Why a 2 CBM shipment can cost more per unit than a 20 CBM one — and how to quote it correctly.

AQL sampling table

How many pieces get checked, and how many defects are tolerated, at common inspection levels.

Every guide

Before you fly

Visa-free entry for business

The roughly 50-country list, Russia’s separate arrangement, what “business” covers, how the 30 days are counted, what to carry as evidence.

240-hour visa-free transit

The 10-day transit route for 57 nationalities: the onward-ticket rule, permitted regions, and when it beats the 30-day option.

Arrival card, customs & cash

Online arrival card, declaration thresholds, carrying samples in and out, ATA carnet for exhibition gear.

On the ground

Apps, SIM & payments

Install and bind your cards before boarding, eSIM vs local SIM, Alipay and WeChat Pay for foreigners, fapiao invoices, taxis and trains.

Hiring an interpreter

Three types of interpreter, realistic day rates, how to vet one, and how to brief them so they are useful rather than decorative.

The business itself

Factory visits & interpreters

How to plan a two-day supplier trip, what to ask on the shop floor, red flags, the differences nobody warns you about.

Canton Fair guide

Phase dates to May 2027, free buyer badge registration, Pazhou layout, where to stay, how to survive a day there.

CHINAPLAS 2027

13–16 April 2027, NECC Shanghai: halls, registration, transport from Hongqiao, combining it with factory visits.

Quality inspection

Inspection stages, AQL sampling, what to check and photograph, how to choose an inspector, common defects.

Shipping & freight

LCL vs FCL vs air, Incoterms in plain words, choosing a forwarder, destination charges, documents you must have.

Why you can trust this

Written from the inside

Content comes from working in China’s export sector and receiving overseas buyers — not from summarising other websites.

No commission, ever

No listing fees, no referral payments, no advertising. Nothing on this site exists to earn us money.

Sourced to authorities

Immigration rules, customs and fair details are cross-checked against official bodies, with links so you can verify.

Kept current

Policies change. Each guide carries a review date, and anything time-sensitive is re-checked before a fair season.

Key dates 2026–2027

When	What	Why it matters
15 Oct – 4 Nov 2026	141st Canton Fair, Guangzhou (3 phases)	Register for the free buyer badge before you fly
31 Dec 2026	Current visa-free policy expiry	Extensions are normally announced late in the year — check before booking early 2027 travel
Late Jan – Feb 2027	Chinese New Year	Factories and offices close; the official holiday calendar is published around November
13–16 Apr 2027	CHINAPLAS 2027, NECC Shanghai	The main plastics and rubber event in Asia
15 Apr – 5 May 2027	142nd Canton Fair, Guangzhou	Opens two days after CHINAPLAS — both can be done on one trip

Official sources — verify before you fly

China Visa Application Service Centre — visa policy notices and country lists
National Immigration Administration — transit and regional entry policies
Canton Fair official site — dates, phases, free buyer badge
CHINAPLAS official site — visitor registration and hall maps
CCPIT — ATA carnet handling for temporary imports

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Business trips to China,made practical.