AFP - Turkish and Chinese companies will sign on Wednesday contracts totalling almost $1.38 billion as the two countries boost their economic ties, Turkey's Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan said.

"Today, Chinese and Turkish firms will ink deals worth nearly $1.38 billion," Caglayan said during an address to a business forum also attended by China's leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping.

The agreements include areas of exports, finance and energy investments.

In a further sign of burgeoning ties between Turkey and China, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit China in the second week of April, Caglayan added.

Erdogan, who is recovering from a second intestinal surgery at his home in Istanbul, has not been abroad since late November when he underwent the first operation.

A large number of Turkish businessmen are expected to join Erdogan during his visit, said the minister.

In Istanbul, Xi, who is widely tipped to become China's next president, met with Turkey's business community on the last stop of a tour that has taken him to the United States and Ireland.

On Tuesday, several cooperation deals in agriculture, finance and banking were signed to strengthen the strategic partnership between Turkey and China. Their respective central banks also inked a currency swap worth 10 billion yuan ($1.58 billion) as part of an effort by Beijing to promote international usage of its currency.

Turkey's deputy prime minister Ali Babacan urged Chinese banks to do more business in Turkey.

"We want Chinese banks to open more branches in Turkey ... We also want Turkish banks to be more active in China," Babacan was quoted saying by Anatolia.

At the forum, officials from both countries vowed to introduce measures to make business easier for investors, to further boost the increasing trade volume.

Trade between Turkey and China has soared from $1.0 billion in 2000 to $19.5 billion in 2010, according to official figures. But the balance of trade is heavily in China's favour.

The two countries have set a timetable to increase their trade volume to $50 billion by 2015 and to $100 billion by 2020.