Turkish companies eye vast business opportunities at China's import expo

IZMIR/ISTANBUL, Türkiye, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkish companies view the on-going 5th China International Import Expo (CIIE) as a premium platform to seek business opportunities and further tap into the vast consumer market of China and beyond.

The expo has become a major platform for global businesses including Turkish companies to explore market opportunities and expand business in China, Mehmet Ali Isik, chairman of the Aegean Dried Fruits and Products Exporters Association, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

In Isik's eyes, China is the "No. 1 target country" for his association based in the western Turkish port city of Izmir.

"The expo offers good business opportunities and we have added new clients to our portfolio in the past," said Mehmet Alageyik, deputy general manager of Kirlioglu Figs.

Perceiving the expo as an important occasion for Turkish companies to understand their consumers and spot market trends, Alageyik said, "the import expo is a gateway for export-oriented Turkish commodities to the wider Chinese market and beyond as China stands at the heart of global trade."

Eti, one of the leading brands of Türkiye's snack industry, aims to stock the shelves in China with a wide array of products tailored for Chinese consumers' taste. The company has put 25 products on display in Shanghai, prioritizing salty snacks, chocolate and oatmeal products.

"This is a start. We want to start with these products, we have more than 300 different product types, and we want to gradually bring those to the market," said Erdinc Ayhan, chief of Eti Export Group.

"For companies like us that want to become a global enterprise and have taken steps towards this, one of the important phases of existing in Asia is to be in China," Ayhan said.

After sending a delegation to the CIIE for the first time in 2019, Eti decided to participate in future expos.

With China's economic development, Chinese consumers are becoming richer and increasingly mindful of their health, said Houmer Balazadeh, general manager of Savola Foods, one of leading Turkish olive oil producers.

Türkiye and China have an exact match in healthy olive oil products, and bilateral trade in this field is expected to boom in the coming years, Balazadeh said.

Olive oil is one of most important export products in Türkiye. Balazadeh expected bilateral trade of olive oil will reach around 2 to 3 billion U.S. dollars.

"Türkiye needs China for future growth, and China needs Türkiye as a sustainable, trustable, reliable supplier of olive oil," Balazadeh said. Like his fellow businessmen, Balazadeh deems the expo a precious opportunity to expand business.

The expo, being held in China's economic hub Shanghai, attracts representatives from 145 countries, regions and international organizations. The six-day event, which opened on Nov.5, provides a platform for worldwide companies to display products, promote brands, and find more business partners.