The China International Import Expo (CIIE), one of China's most prestigious events and the world's largest import fair, facilitated significant business connections in 2024.
Türkiye's national participation, led by the Aegean Exporters' Associations (EIB), featured 15 Turkish companies.
Thirteen of these companies operate in the food sector, while the remaining two represented Türkiye from other industries.
Jak Eskinazi, Coordinator President of the Aegean Exporters' Associations, stated: "The China International Import Expo (CIIE) is a significant event personally planned, proposed, and promoted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The expo's opening ceremony was attended by Premier Li Qiang. 3,496 participants from 129 countries were present. Turkish exports to China increased by 4.8% to USD 2.598 billion in the January-October period of 2024. We aim to increase our exports to China to USD 12 billion in the long term. We also participated in a meeting on Facilitating High Value-Added Agricultural Product Trade. This meeting is of great importance in opening new opportunities for agricultural product trade with China. For next year, we plan to increase government support and conduct sector-specific promotions to boost the number of participating companies in the national pavilion. The cosmetics sector is one such example."
Yalçın Ertan, the Deputy Coordinator President of the Aegean Exporters' Associations and President of the Aegean Iron and Non-Ferrous Metals Exporters' Association, stated that the "Mayor of Nanjing and the Deputy Mayor of Yiwu visited their booth at the fair. He added, 'We informed the Mayor of Nanjing, who previously visited Izmir and left with very positive impressions, that we will arrange a visit in the coming months to finalize a sister city protocol between Izmir and Nanjing. The Deputy Mayor of Yiwu also expressed their strong interest in Izmir and the Aegean Region, stating they would encourage Yiwu citizens to organize tourist trips to these areas."
President Ertan announced that numerous meetings were held during the fair, and a "Memorandum of Understanding" was signed with Export Bahrain. He continued, explaining that Export Bahrain, established in 2018 under the Bahraini Ministry of Industry and Commerce, aims to boost the trade of Bahraini businesses. This MOU targets increased trade volume between EIB members and Export Bahrain members, with the goal of boosting Turkish firms' exports to Bahrain.
Live broadcasts followed by 1 million viewers
The China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2024 saw significant success for Turkish exporters. Over 297 Fortune 500 companies exhibited, generating a total of $80.1 billion in business deals – a 2% increase compared to the previous year. Live streams from the Aegean Exporters' Associations (EIB) WeChat account, featuring participating companies and events, garnered an impressive 1 million views across two days (November 7th and 8th). The EIB plans to continue promoting Turkish companies in the Chinese market throughout the year via WeChat, Little Red Book, and TikTok, utilizing its team and partner influencers to connect Turkish brands with Chinese buyers.
Turkish Gastronomy takes center stage
Türkiye's rich gastronomy was showcased, highlighting the country's culinary offerings. Dried fruits, olives, olive oil, hazelnuts, and pistachios were among the Turkish delicacies sampled by visitors. These tasting events proved extremely popular. A separate tasting event, hosted by the Turkish Trade Office, featured participation from Chinese influencers, journalists, and importers. This event mirrored a similar successful tasting event previously held in the US under the “Turkish Tastes” Turquality project.
Trade Attache's tasting event
Muhammet Öztürk, President of the Aegean Grain, Pulses, and Oil Seeds Exporters' Association, stated that a special tasting event was held with the participation of Chinese influencers, journalists, and importers, hosted by our Trade Attache. He mentioned, "Prior to the fair, we organized a similar Turkish cuisine tasting event in China with the support of our Consul General and Trade Attaches, as part of our 'Turkish Tastes' Turquality project, which we previously held in the USA."
The government support for the fair should be increased
With 77 countries participating nationally at CIIE 2024, Ege Mineral Exporters Association President Ibrahim Alimoglu emphasized the need for increased Turkish participation and a more prominent national pavilion. He advocated for greater government support to Turkish firms to increase their presence and competitiveness.
The Turkish delegation also attended a ceremony commemorating Mustafa Kemal Atatürk held at the Shanghai Consulate General on November 10th.
The delegation representing the Aegean Exporters' Associations included: Yalçın Ertan (EIB Deputy Coordinator and Head of the Aegean Iron and Non-Ferrous Metals Exporters’ Association), Mehmet Ali Işık (EIB Sustainability and Organic Products Coordinator and Head of the Aegean Dried Fruits and Products Exporters’ Association), İbrahim Alimoğlu (Head of the Aegean Mineral Exporters’ Association), Muhammet Öztürk (Head of the Aegean Cereals, Legumes, and Oilseeds Exporters’ Association), Erkan Zandar (Head of the Aegean Leather and Leather Products Exporters’ Association), and members of the Aegean Aquatic Products and Animal Products Exporters’ Association's board.
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