Shipping Turmoil: Hong Kong vs United States Tariffs

HongKong Post will continue to suspend postal shipments to the U.S., despite the USPS reversing its suspension on Chinese parcels. The chaos ensued following President Trump's new tariffs and duty exemptions changes, affecting Hong Kong's trading status. Hong Kong urges the U.S. to reconsider their policies.

The HongKong Post announced it would maintain its suspension of postal goods to the United States, despite the United States Postal Service (USPS) retracting an earlier decision to halt parcels from China and Hong Kong.

The USPS's initial move on Tuesday to refuse parcels from China and Hong Kong caused widespread disarray among retailers and shipping firms as they navigated new obstacles introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump's imposition of a 10% tariff on Chinese imports. Trump's policy also abolished the 'de minimis' duty exemption for packages under $800, aimed at curbing the inflow of fentanyl and associated chemicals into the U.S.

The USPS later reversed its 12-hour suspension after Trump revoked an exemption that allowed retailers like Temu, Shein, and Amazon to ship low-value packages duty-free to the United States. Meanwhile, in a U.S. government notice, it was declared that Hong Kong products would also be subject to these tariffs, treating them identically to Chinese products. The Hong Kong government expressed strong disapproval of these U.S. measures and demanded urgent rectification to prevent further public confusion and inconvenience caused by the evolving policies.

(With inputs from agencies.)