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 contemporary tariffs concentrating on 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 return into america with out paying duties or sure taxes.
But it surely has confronted scrutiny as a result of a a surge in shipments claiming the exemption lately.
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 might delay parcels from each corporations from coming 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 purpose for its pause on Tuesday.
Different retailers like Amazon may also be impacted.
