Turkey ramps up US spat with huge tariffs on cars and other goods
By Jethro Mullen August 15, 2018: 6:08 AM ET Turkey on Wednesday intensified its clash with the United States, announcing heavy new tariffs on some American products including cars, alcohol and tobacco.
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Twitter that the measures were in response to "the deliberate attack of the US administration on our economy."
The Turkish government has doubled its retaliatory tariffs on American cars to 120% and on alcoholic drinks to 140%, according to a notice published Wednesday. Other affected products include fruit, coal, makeup and rice.
Relations between Washington and Ankara have rapidly soured in recent weeks over Turkey's detention of the American pastor Andrew Brunson. The Trump administration announced plans last week to double US tariffs imports of steel and aluminum from Turkey. On Wednesday, a Turkish court rejected a second appeal to release Brunson. Related: What happens next in Turkey? It probably won't be good The political spat with Washington has added to pressure on Turkey's currency, the lira, which has plunged against the dollar. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the United States of stabbing Turkey in the back and on Tuesday called for a boycott of US electronics products. In June, Turkey imposed a first wave of tariffs on US exports, worth a total of $1.8 billion, in retaliation for President Donald Trump's initial tariffs on steel aluminum. The products targeted Wednesday are the same as in June. "Turkey is not in favor of an economic war, but we cannot remain with no reaction if there is an attack on us," Ibrahim Kalin, a Turkish presidential spokesman, said Wednesday. The amount of products affected by the tariffs the two countries have imposed on one another are a relatively small part of the $19 billion of goods they traded last year, according to US data. The lira strengthened for a second consecutive trading session on Wednesday, with gains for the day reaching 6% in morning trade in Europe. The currency is still down more than 35% against the dollar in 2018. （リンク先に続きあり)
