The US Postal Service (USPS) said on Wednesday it would "temporarily" stop accepting packages from China and Hong Kong "until further notice", as the trade war between Washington and Beijing intensifies.
In a brief statement, the USPS clarified that the measure does not affect "the flow of letters and regular mail," but only orders for low-value products that previously benefited from the fee exemption.
US President Donald Trump has raised tariffs on imports from China by 10% after backtracking on plans to levy duties on Canada and Mexico.
Beijing responded with retaliatory measures, including 15 percent tariffs on imports of U.S. coal, liquefied natural gas, farm equipment and other goods.
The vast majority of goods shipped from China arrive outside the postal system, but Trump's order specifically eliminated a tariff exemption for low-value products purchased directly by consumers and shipped through the Postal Service.
This exemption covered items worth less than $800 (€770).
The USPS measure could block or delay orders made through Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu, but also through Amazon in the US.
The exemption from taxes on purchases of low-value items has greatly benefited the two Chinese platforms and Amazon: the number of duty-free shipments has increased by 600% in the past ten years, reaching 1.36 billion orders last year, up from nearly 140 million in 2015.
In the wake of the announcement, shares of Chinese e-commerce companies traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange fell: JD.com fell 5.25% and Alibaba fell 1.6%.
