Turkey will be attending the first China International Import Expo to be held from Nov. 5 to Nov. 10 with the aim of enabling Turkish companies to form new collaborations and boosting exports to China.
A national participation organization, formed by the Istanbul Chemicals and Chemical Products Exporters Association (İKMİB) will go to Shanghai and will see 38 Turkish leading global brands attend the expo.
These include national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY), Vestel, Aksa Jeneratör and Arzum, along with companies that operate in the clothing, accessories and consumer products sectors as well as food and agricultural products, consumer electronics and electronic appliances, automobile, high-level smart equipment and services sectors. A total of 150,000 customers and buyers are expected to attend the fair.
The national participation organization will be showcasing at six halls with 715-square meters of booth area. Promotional activities to be held at the 136-square meter Turkey booth, aimed at enabling Turkish companies to have a sustainable foothold in the Chinese market and to form new collaborations.
Sharing expectations and objectives regarding the fair, İKMİB Chairman Adil Pelister said İKMİB hosts many qualified organizations that contribute greatly to increase the exports of member companies.
Underscoring that national participation organizations also have special importance for exporters and national trade, Pelister said that İKMİB has undertaken the Turkish National Participation Organization at the China International Import Expo which will be held for the first time this year in line with the new import strategy of the People's Republic of China.
"We believe the fair will support the growth of trade volume between China and Turkey," he added.
Recalling that China is one of the largest trade partners of Turkey in the Far East, Pelister said that China is the world's second largest economy as well as the world's second largest importer and consumer. Stating that China plans to import $10 trillion worth of products and services over the next five years, he noted that this is a historic opportunity for international companies to enter the Chinese market.
"Our Chinese business partners will have the opportunity to get to know the high quality Turkish products at this fair where we will take place with national participation for the first time. A total of 38 global companies from many sectors such as food, chemistry and personal consumption will join the fair to seize these opportunities," Pelister told.
Touching on Turkey's export figures with China, Pelister expressed that Turkey's exports to China amount to nearly $3 billion and foreign trade volume is $26 billion. Also, the Turkish chemical sector's exports to China reached $357 million in the January-September period of 2018 from $357 million in 2017.
"In fact, these figures clearly show us how high the potential is. Among our export markets, China has climbed to 10th rank this year from 14th in 2017. We hope that this fair will contribute to the increase of our exports and that our bilateral trade will rise.
We wish China International Import Expo to be very efficient for our companies and wish all our exporters success in the hope of high volume business contacts in our target sectors," Pelister said.