The US Postal Service has announced a temporary suspension of international parcels from China and Hong Kong.
This is after President Donald Trump shut a trade loophole this week that has been used to ship low-value packages duty-free from China.
Media Talk Africa recalls that the Trump administration imposed an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods that came into effect on Tuesday and moved to close the “de minimis” loophole that allows importers and US shoppers to avoid paying tariffs for packages worth less than $800.
The US Postal Service said the change would not impact the flow of letters and ‘flats’ from China and Hong Kong.
It, however, did not immediately comment on whether this was tied to Trump’s change to ending de minimis shipments from China and other countries.
Trump imposed the extra tariff on Chinese goods after repeatedly warning Beijing that it was not doing enough to halt the flow of illicit drugs into the United States, particularly fentanyl.
