VOA慢速英语2018 土耳其总统威胁要抵制美国产品

Turkey's Erdogan Threatens Boycott of US Goods

Turkey’s President threatened Tuesday to boycott U.S. electronic goods because of what he calls an economic war against Turkey by the United States.

土耳其总统周二威胁要抵制美国电子产品，原因就是他所谓的美国对土耳其的经济战争。

President Erdogan told political supporters in Ankara that he would start “a boycott against America’s electronic goods.” He urged Turks to buy local or Korean mobile phones, instead of American iPhones.

埃尔多安总统在安卡拉对政治支持者表示，他将开始“抵制美国电子产品。”他督促土耳其人购买国产手机或韩国手机，而不是美国的iPhone手机。

Erdogan, however, did not announce any government action towards a boycott.

然而埃尔多安并未宣布任何政府抵制行动。

The president’s comments came after diplomats from both sides met Monday to calm tensions.

这位总统在双方外交官周一举行会谈以缓和局势之后发表了上述言论。

The call for a boycott appears to be Erdogan’s answer to the U.S. decision to double tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum imports. In addition, the U.S. has placed sanctions on two Turkish ministers over the arrest of an American pastor who is charged with having links to terrorism.

呼吁抵制似乎是埃尔多安对美国决定加倍征收对土耳其钢铝产品进口关税的回应。此外，由于土耳其逮捕了一名被指控与恐怖主义存在联系的美国牧师，美国对土耳其两名部长实施了制裁。

Erdogan also has called on people to exchange their U.S. dollars for Turkish lira to help strengthen the exchange value of the country’s currency.

埃尔多安还呼吁人们把美元换成土耳其里拉，以帮助加强该国货币的汇率。

“If we divert our money to foreign currency...then we will be in the position of having surrendered to the devil,” Erdogan said.

埃尔多安表示：“如果我们把自己的存款都转为外币，那么我们就是在向魔鬼投降。”

The dispute between the U.S. and Turkey has started an economic crisis in Turkey that has pushed its currency to historic lows. The exchange value of the lira has fallen about 40 percent against the U.S. dollar since January. Last week it dropped 16 percent in one day.

美国和土耳其之间的争端已经引发了土耳其的经济危机，使其货币降至历史低位。自一月以来，里拉兑美元的价格已经下跌了40%左右，并且上周在一天之内就下降了16%。

However, severe changes in the value of the currency calmed Tuesday after news that U.S. national security adviser John Bolton had met with the Turkish ambassador to Washington Monday.

然而，美国国家安全顾问博尔顿周一在华盛顿会见了土耳其大使的消息传出之后，土耳其汇率巨震稳定了下来。

International investors are worried about Turkey’s high amount of debt held in foreign currencies, especially the dollar. Most economists say Erdogan should raise interest rates to support the Turkish lira, but Erdogan wants to keep rates low to support growth. Investors are also worried about the effects of the dispute between two NATO allies.

国际投资者担心土耳其持有的高额外币债务，尤其是美元债务。多数经济学家表示，埃尔多安应该加息提振土耳其里拉，但是埃尔多安希望保持低利率以维持经济增长。投资者也担心美国和土耳其这两个北约盟国之间争端的影响。

In a statement released Tuesday, Turkish business groups called on Erdogan to let the Turkish central bank raise interest rates to stop the currency crisis. They also called on Turkey to work with the United States to improve relations.

在周二发表的一份声明中，土耳其企业组织呼吁埃尔多安允许土耳其央行提高利率以阻止货币危机。他们还呼吁土耳其同美国合作改善关系。

The Turkish central bank has promised that Turkish banks will have all the money they need. But, foreign investors are concerned that the central bank may not act because of political interference. Central banks try to ignore politics when making economic decisions.

土耳其央行承诺土耳其银行将会获得他们所需的全部资金。但是外国投资者担心央行因为政治干预而不会出手。各国央行在做出经济决策时都会试图忽视政治。

In the case of the American pastor, the lawyer representing Andrew Brunson again asked a Turkish court to release him from house arrest. The 50-year-old pastor is charged with terrorism links and spying. He denies the charges. Brunson faces a possible prison sentence of 35 years.

在美国牧师的案件中，布伦森的代表律师再次要求土耳其法院解除对他的软禁。这位50岁的牧师被控同恐怖主义存在联系以及从事间谍行为。布伦森否认了这些指控，他可能被判处35年徒刑。

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

currency – n. the kind of money a country uses

tariffs – n. a tax on goods coming into or leaving a country

sanctioned – adj. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country

pastor – n. a minister or priest in charge of a church or parish

divert – v. to move in a different direction