ISTANBUL, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The China International Import Expo (CIIE) provides a favorable platform for interactions among businesspeople from all over the world, a Turkish scholar has said.

"China is a huge market, and the purchasing power of this market is growing fast," Oguz Demir, associate professor of economics at the Istanbul Commerce University, told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday.

As the first dedicated import exhibition globally, the CIIE has yielded fruitful outcomes at its past three expos. The fourth edition is being held in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10, with more than 200 exhibitors and over 500 purchasers participating.

Turkish firms have participated in all the four expos and signed multiple win-win deals with Chinese partners, Demir said.

"This year, the spirit of Turkish firms is very high" for new transactions, he said.

The scholar also underlined that the expo this year coincides with the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), which he believes is very meaningful.

China's joining of the WTO is "like a revolution for the international economy," Demir said.

The world has "understood the importance of China during the COVID-19 pandemic" as it tried to keep the resilience of the global supply chain and make it sustainable during the health crisis.

"China is supporting the world economy to grow ... and is one of the core economies in the value chains," Demir said.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread and weigh on the world economy, trade remains an important engine for the growth of developing countries, he said.

Underlining the importance of China's investment and interest in new technologies, Demir also commended China as one of the leaders in technological transformation.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service