A United States Postal Service worker pushes a cart of packages in New York City, on Dec. 4, 2023.
Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters
The U.S. Postal Service said Tuesday it’s temporarily suspending all inbound packages from China and Hong Kong Posts.
The change is effective immediately and will remain “until further notice,” according to an alert posted to the agency’s website. Letters and large envelopes, referred to as “flats,” sent from China and Hong Kong won’t be impacted, the USPS said.
The announcement comes after President Donald Trump on Saturday signed executive orders imposing tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada. Trump on Monday agreed to hold off on imposing 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days, but the 10% tax on goods from China remains.
A provision in the orders eliminates a popular trade loophole, known as “de minimis,” which allows exporters to ship packages worth less than $800 into the U.S. duty free.
Chinese e-commerce firms, including Shein and PDD Holdings‘ Temu, have relied on the de minimis loophole as a way to bypass tariffs, and keep prices low.
