Beijing has tightened export rules, depriving Russia of access to machine tools with 3–4 micron precision. Russian businesses are warning of ruptured production chains.
China has strengthened export controls and effectively halted shipments to Russia of high-precision equipment that requires special licenses. In the metalworking market, some are calling it “the beginning of technological isolation” for Russia.
The cutoff was flagged by Ildar Nuriev, owner of the company Tatpromstan, whose remarks were cited by Russian media.
He said the Chinese side has restricted deliveries of high-tech equipment even though there has been no official announcement. Where previously it was relatively easy to obtain machines with 3–4 micron accuracy, that’s no longer the case. A separate export license is now required, and securing one is an extremely complex and lengthy process.
According to him, even transporting equipment that has already been paid for from China to Russia now involves “unpleasant incidents” — from customs delays to sudden inspections by Beijing’s regulators.
Meanwhile, Russia remains heavily dependent on imported machine tools. In 2024, foreign-made machines accounted for 98.3% of units procured for production. About 71% of the value of imported equipment came from China, wrote Artem Garin, deputy director for quality at StankoMashKompleks JSC, in the magazine Progressive Economy.
Tatpromstan specializes in localizing and adapting Chinese machine tools for the Russian market. For that reason, Nuriev sees the new restrictions not as a coincidence but as a signal of Beijing’s changing attitude toward technological cooperation with Moscow.
According to Nuriev, it’s a clear sign China is not interested in deepening production ties with Russia, seeking instead to reduce sanctions risk.
The tighter export rules come as bilateral trade slows. According to China’s General Administration of Customs, Chinese exports to Russia fell 16.4% in August 2025 from a year earlier — nearly double July’s decline (-8.6%).
Overall, in the first eight months of this year, two-way trade dropped 8.9% to 1.03 trillion yuan (about $145 billion).
Experts at the Gaidar Institute note that China is cutting purchases across nearly all key categories of Russian raw materials.
For January–May 2025:
- Oil supplies fell 11%
- Petroleum products — 28%
- Liquefied natural gas — 13%
- Timber and coal — roughly 10%
Analysts say the trend points to a structural cooling in trade rather than temporary fluctuations. Beijing is diversifying suppliers to avoid dependence on Russia while minimizing the risk of secondary sanctions.
