Turkey announced that starting from August 1, it will impose comprehensive import tariffs on 14 countries including Japan and South Korea, with a unified 25% tariff on goods from Japan and South Korea. This tariff will not be combined with previously announced tariffs on industries such as automobiles, steel, and aluminum.
Turkey informed these tariff measures to leaders of various countries through letters. In the letter, Turkey expressed particular concern about the trade deficit between the United States and these countries, and encouraged leaders to produce goods in the United States to avoid tariffs.
In the letter, he also warned countries not to retaliate by increasing their own tariffs, otherwise the U.S. would further increase tariffs. In the letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, it was written: "If you decide to raise your own tariffs for any reason, the amount you raise will be directly added on top of our 25% tariff."
According to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, last year the United States purchased $465 billion worth of goods from the 14 countries that received the letters. Among them, Japan and South Korea, the sixth and seventh largest trading partners of the United States, accounted for 60%, exporting $280 billion worth of goods to the United States last year.
Bill Reinisch, head of the International Business Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said to The Hill last week that he believes trade negotiations have not been particularly smooth. The negotiation representatives of Japan and South Korea both requested exemptions from tariffs on steel, aluminum, and automobiles. South Korea demanded exemption from all tariffs, and they have not made any concessions in this regard.
So far, only two trade agreements have been announced, one being with the United Kingdom, which has drawn mixed reactions from the U.S. industry; the other being with Vietnam, with few details available.
Previously, Trump had delayed the tariff deadline to July 9. Now announcing that it will take effect on August 1 is essentially another three-week delay, providing more time for negotiations. When asked whether the new August deadline was a hard deadline, Trump said, "I would say it's definitely, but not 100% certain. If they call and say we want to do something differently, we will accept."
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837049075157187/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.