John Swinney admits he is 'concerned' about potential U.S tariffs, and will use a trip to New York to address the issue.
American president Donald Trump is expected to put tariffs on all countries on Wednesday this week in what he calls "Liberation Day".
Mr Trump previously put a 25% tariff on Scotch whisky in 2019 as part of a trade dispute, leading to a significant decline in exports.
The former Apprentice host believes that putting high import fees on products from abroad will encourage people to buy American products.
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For example, making salmon from Scotland significantly more expensive than that from Maine, or making Tennessee bourbon much cheaper than whisky, would in theory boost American companies.
However, many economists argue that companies will simply pass costs on to customers, fuelling inflation, while other countries will respond in kind and hurt U.S exports.
The First Minister will be in New York later this week for Tartan Week, and said discussion of tariffs will be "part and parcel" of the trip.
Mr Swinney said: "I’ve made very clear our concerns about tariffs, and I will be using the opportunity of being in the United States to promote a range of Scottish products and businesses, including Scottish whisky. That will be part and parcel of our discussions.
"I want to make sure that we use every opportunity to avoid the presence and the effects of tariffs affecting Scottish products. They are damaging to trade and we thrive on trade, so every opportunity will be used to do exactly that."
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