Automotive Exports December 2019

Turkey aims to surpass $20bn trade volume with China
Turkey is working intensively to surpass
its current trade volume with China –
approximately $20 billion – focusing on
high value-added projects within a winwin
framework, the head of the Turkish
Exporters’ Assembly (TİM) said.
The Belt and Road Initiative was
launched by China as is a project
critical both in terms of the future of
global trade and the region, said Ismail
Gülle during a program on Turkey –
China multidimensional relations.
He said that all countries from
Eurasia support China’s project, so
does Turkey. “We have to ensure
that Turkey’s gastronomic skills,
agricultural and food products as well
as tourism are well known by our
Chinese friends,” he said.
Pointing to China’s $2.1 trillion total
imports and the scope of China’s
investments under the Belt and Road
Initiative, Gülle underlined the project’s
potential not only for Turkey, but for the
entire region.
For his part, Cui Wei, the Chinese
consul-general in Istanbul, said
despite the thousands of kilometers
between the two countries, the cultural
exchange has never been interrupted.
“In ancient times, the Silk Road was the
bridge of friendship between the two
sides,” he said, with porcelain and silk,
for instance, being traded from China to
Turkey.
He added that Turkey, which lies at
the intersection point of Europe and
Asia, combined advantageous aspects
of eastern and western cultures
and produced a unique cultural
environment.
Manufacturing capacity utilization
up in October
Turkey receives over 92,000
trademark applications
ANKARA-The Turkish Patent and Trademark Office
(TurkPatent) received 92,387 trademark applications --
80,938 of them domestic -- during the first three quarters
of the current year, official figures showed on Oct. 22.
The number of trademark applications increased by 8.9%
year-on-year in the January-July period of this year,
according to the TurkPatent data.
The office received 12,761 patent applications during the
same period, up by 5% compared to the first nine months
of 2018.
Some 1,988 utility model and 31,162 design applications
were received between January and September. 98.6% of
utility models and 85.17% of the design applications were
domestic, said the data report.
Last year, the office received 120,008 trademarks,
18,504 patents, 2,770 utility models, and 42,083 design
applications.
Turkey’s manufacturing industry capacity utilization rate
(CUR) marginally improved on a monthly basis in October,
the Central Bank said on Oct. 25.
Local units operating in manufacturing industry used
76.4% capacity this month [October], up 0.1 points from
September, according to the bank survey.
The CUR figures are based on business tendency survey
responses of local units operating in the sector.
The Central Bank of Turkey (CBRT) said while 1,795
companies responded to the survey in October, the monthly
data does not reflect the bank’s views or predictions.
This month, among the six main industrial groups, the
highest capacity usage was 75.6% for intermediate goods,
while the lowest CUR was 74% for durable consumer goods.
Among more than 20 sectors, the highest CUR was seen
in both manufacturers of apparel and paper products at
84.5%.
October’s lowest capacity usage was recorded by
manufacturers of leather and related products at 62.4%.
December 2019
50