ISTANBUL -- Chinese companies from a wide array of sectors have received "intense attention" at an international trade expo being held in Türkiye's biggest city Istanbul, a Turkish business leader said on Friday.

A total of 32 Chinese companies and business groups have participated the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association Expo, a four-day event that started in Istanbul on November 2.

"One of the broadest participation in the expo this year comes from the Chinese companies," Halit Kerim, vice-president of MUSIAD Export Development Commission, told Xinhua.

"Attention towards the Chinese firms is intense, thanks to companies such as Huawei and ZTE, which are well-established in (the Turkish) market. MUSIAD Expo acts as a bridge between Chinese and Turkish firms, aiming to strengthen the existing trade relationship with new forms of cooperation," Kerim said.

Other notable firms from China at the expo include the Turkish branches of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Bank of China, China Ocean Shipping Company, China Telecom, China Tianchen Engineering Corporation, train car manufacturer CRRC, and Sinovac. Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccines are widely popular in Türkiye's national vaccination campaign.

This year's MUSIAD Expo aims to generate a trade volume of around $5 billion through new business deals and connections, according to Kerim. Representatives from more than 100 countries, including Azerbaijan, Russia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Iran, participated in the event.