WASHINGTON: The US Postal Service (USPS) stated on Tuesday (Feb 4) it was quickly suspending inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong, shortly after President Donald Trump’s imposition of fresh tariffs targeting Beijing.
The halt will happen “till additional discover”, and follows Trump’s order for a further 10 per cent levy on Chinese language imports beginning on Tuesday.
The order, unveiled over the weekend, additionally eradicated a duty-free exemption for low worth packages.
The “de minimis” exemption permits items valued at US$800 or beneath to come back into america with out paying duties or sure taxes.
Nevertheless it has confronted scrutiny as a consequence of a a surge in shipments claiming the exemption in recent times.
US officers pointed to the expansion of Chinese language-founded on-line retailers Shein and Temu as a key issue behind this enhance – and Tuesday’s halt may delay parcels from each firms from getting into the nation.
Washington has been trying to tighten the rule, saying the expansion in shipments makes it more durable to display screen items for safety dangers.
Nevertheless, the USPS gave no cause for its pause on Tuesday.
Different retailers like Amazon may additionally be impacted.
