Feature: Turkish companies eye CIIE as gateway to huge Chinese market

ISTANBUL, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- More overseas enterprises, including frequent goers and first-timers, are attending the sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE) to tap China's vast market with unlimited chances and potential. Two of them are Türkiye's award-winning winemakers.

"We are very excited ... because China is a big market. Maybe we are small, but big markets are interesting, and China is changing a lot, every single day," Can Ortabas, owner of Urla Winery told Xinhua in a recent interview.

This enthusiastic Turkish wine producer from the western Aegean town of Urla, near the port city of Izmir, explained in his boutique winery that there is an "amazing" evolution in China's wine-making and consuming culture.

"China will find the best terroir, and make very good wines in the future ... The first Chinese wines that I tasted were very different. The new ones that I tasted last year were amazing," Ortabas said.

The winemaker said wine consumption has significantly increased in China in the past years, and this trend could help Turkish producers enter a huge market.

Besides Urla Winery, Kavaklidere, Türkiye's leading wine producer and exporter, is also attending the CIIE in Shanghai this year to prospect for business opportunities in the global fair.

Except for wine products, Türkiye's dried fruits, and olive oil are also predominantly in the spotlight of this year's CIIE.

According to Jak Eskinazi, head coordinator of the Aegean Exporters' Association, Türkiye attaches the utmost importance to the CIIE as it is the world's most prestigious and largest import fair, and all the participating Turkish companies have made great efforts to present their products to the Chinese visitors in an impressive way.

Under such a success of the Chinese economy, Turkish companies are eager to boost trade and increase their exports to China with a win-win understanding, said Eskinazi.

For Ortabas, while Turkish wines are gaining international recognition, there is still some way to go for them to tap the global market.

"It takes time, it is not easy," he said, but the CIIE would mean a greater chance.