Turkish textile firms have asked the government to postpone plans of imposing new requirements on their imports from China. The government’s plan on imposing new fees was been discussed by representatives of textile companies and state officials.

Representatives have asked officials to postpone the implementation of some procedures while amending others. Turkish economy ministry stressed on support for production imports from China but on the condition of bringing value added to Turkey. Ready-to-wear clothing accounted for about 18 per cent of Turkey’s $157 billion exports in 2017.

The government plan was aimed partly at tackling Turkey’s widening current account deficit, which reached $47.1 billion last year says Cuneyt Yavuz, chief executive officer of jeans retailer Mavi. Meanwhile economy minister Nihat Zeybekci stated economic ties between Turkey and US can’t be underestimated, knowing that the US is the second biggest investor in the country. Turkey imported a quarter of its $10.1 billion textile from China in 2017, more than half of which was cotton fabrics and intermediary goods.

Commercial partnership and relations with the US are deeply rooted regardless of temporary political disputes and customs fees on Turkish steel imports. Zeybekci added Turkish financial firms have the ability to confront the instability of the Turkish Lira, expressing his confidence in the currency’s ability to regain its value soon.