Hong Kong’s postal service, which operates in the semi-autonomous Chinese city, is suspending parcel delivery services to and from the United States.
The Hong Kong government said the move was in response to US President Donald Trump’s last week to end the “de minimis” exemption for Hong Kong-US postal items.
“These US actions are unreasonable, outrageous, and a clear abuse of tariff policy,” the government said in a statement. “Hong Kong residents should be prepared to pay excessively high and unjustified tariffs due to these disproportionate US actions.”
The Hong Kong government said the postal service had already stopped accepting parcels sent by sea and would stop accepting parcels sent by air from April 27.
On April 8, President Trump signed an executive order tripling tariffs on goods worth less than $800 imported from China, including Hong Kong, to the United States. Previously, these types of goods were exempt from tariffs.
Initially, a 30% tariff was to be imposed on these goods on May 2, but Trump’s latest executive order increased the tariffs to 120%. This change will significantly impact American consumers, particularly those who shop on Shein, Temu, and AliExpress, and is likely to lead to higher prices for goods.
